Wapato is a perennial plant that is native throughout North America. Historically, it was a staple food crop for people wherever it grew and continues to be a popular native food plant. Tubers grow in wet soil beneath the water surface. Flower stalks with white blooms and arrow shaped leaves reach above the surface.

Wapato grows in estuaries, ponds, shallow portions or rivers and lakes, ditches and wet seeps. We grow wapato in mini ponds (50 gallon barrels cut in half) and let the surface water almost dry up in summer. Plants go dormant in fall and are best harvested at that time. When grown in a tub, they are easy to harvest, divide, and replant. In a pond or wetland, the best way to harvest is by loosening tubers with your toes and letting them float to the surface to collect them. We like to boil them and then bake them after boiling.  Sometimes we bake them with garlic, butter, and some water to keep them moist. So delicious!