Kudzu Is King; Now It’s Going Green

You’ve seen it on the side of the road and it probably has attacked some of the trees in your yard. But what if you could make use of it and help save the earth at the same time? We’re talking about kudzu and in this week’s Go Green/ Save Green segment, we found out you can even eat it!

This week’s Go Green/ Save Green is another viewer response e-mail. You e-mailed us and we came to you. We’re in downtown Seneca where they have some great and very interesting uses for kudzu. Let’s go inside.

“It becomes dormant, it doesn’t die to where you can never kill it,” says Joleen Oh and you probably know what she is talking about.
“Raw kudzu, it’s just the winter kudzu. It becomes a vine, but it’s still alive.”
That’s right…kudzu. It’s the annoying weed that seems to have more than nine lives. But Joleen, also known as “Mother Vine,” and her fiancée, known as “King Kudzu” take Go Green/ Save Green to another level.

“Well, we actually only harvest our vines for the baskets from the trees that is overgrown and choking out. That’s the only ones we try to harvest to help save the trees as well.”
And the trees can thank the “kudzu couple” for a second chance.
“We’ve saved over 20 trees in the Upstate of South Carolina and Georgia with the artwork we have in the stores.”

Greeting cards…soap and jelly, earrings and even something more interesting.
“This is the nine foot canoe with paddles that King Kudzu just built. Now does this work in the water? It’s not floatable.”
It’s all things kudzu, including dinner.
“I’ve eaten kudzu candy, kudzu quiche, kudzu pasta, kudzu jelly, deep fat fried kudzu leaves. I’ve had it all and I even eat it raw, that’s my favorite way.”
Saving money on materials…check…saving the environment…check…Go Green/ Save Green…we think so.

“I think it’s a great way to help our environment and help mother earth before she gets real sick.”
If you have a Go Green/ Save Green idea, we’ll come out to you. Just email us here for more details.