| Author | Comment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
 indygoman |
Mmmm fiddleheads ! |
Lead | |
|
Posts: 528 (05/20/09 6:34 PM) |
Hey guys !
Thaught i'd share some pics the family and I went picking fiddleheads by a small creek near the camp . 
We where almost too late some already stated to open .
|
||
|
torjusg |
|||
|
Posts: 581 (05/21/09 3:45 AM) |
Nice!
Are all fiddleheads edible? I have been trying some local ones and they taste crispy and nice, but some say that some of the ferns are not edible.
Torjus Gaaren
"Environmental Endtimer" |
||
|
indygoman |
|||
|
Posts: 529 (05/21/09 6:34 AM) |
They are right ..not all species are edible and can be dangerous ..stay away from he red looking one's and the one with the white furry stuff on it
....here's a pic of one of the types I mean .
these are the white furry kind 
|
||
|
thanrose |
|||
|
Posts: 150 (05/21/09 6:39 AM) |
Not all are edible, but many are. It's just that the ostrich fern (matteucia) has the best tasting. There's a Hawaiian fern that's also edible,
but I've never eaten it. I've eaten other fern fiddleheads that are not recommended, including one said to be carcinogenic. Nothing compares to ostrich
fern fiddleheads. The others I've eaten are bitter and not as tender.
Do you ever look at Henrietta's pages? She's in north western Europe if I recall correctly, and really does have a handle on edible species throughout your area. I want to say her name is something like Henrietta Kresge and her site is something like Henrietta's Herbals. I'm sure she's easy to google. |
||
|
ben |
|||
|
Posts: 16 (05/25/09 2:26 PM) |
I think only ostrich fern and bracken are favored but many are edible. I had some small fiddleheads from a fern that wasn't bracken or ostrich fern and it
was horrible.
|
||
|
Rocks in Head |
|||
|
Posts: 344 (05/27/09 3:31 AM) |
Cool stuff. Do you eat them raw or how do you prepare them for eating?
|
||
|
Quest for fire |
|||
|
Posts: 2053 (05/27/09 10:05 AM) |
I was wondering when fiddlehead threads were going to start poking up.
I do not care for them that much. It may have been my cooking method. Kevin |
||
|
PaleoTasmanian |
|||
|
Posts: 10 (05/30/09 4:01 PM) |
Good to get confirmation on the non-edibility of all firns. Have a dvd by a guy named Koa who lives lightly in North Queensland in which he claims that all
fiddleheads (and all wattles) are edible. I think he is really only refering to those in the geographical area he is featuring, but doesn't explicitly
state it.
Helen Benson: You said you came to save us.
Klaatu: I said I came to save the Earth. Helen Benson: You came to save the Earth... from us. You came to save the Earth *from* us. Klaatu: We cant risk the survival of this planet for the sake of one species. Helen Benson: What are you saying? Klaatu: If the Earth dies, you die. If you die, the Earth survives. |
||
|
thanrose |
|||
|
Posts: 154 (06/03/09 8:32 AM) |
Some sources will say that bracken fern is poisonous to humans. Eh, I've eaten it. Twice, I think, and never interested again, unless there's some
compelling reason.
Chinese brake fern, or Pteris, is another that may be poisonous. It's used in bioremediation because it can clean soils of some toxins, which means those particular ferns are then toxic. I understand it is used worldwide, and naturalizes. Asparagus fern is not a true fern, but is poisonous. That's a big problem. There are things that are not ferns but are called ferns, and some of them even look ferny. It's always best to know the species you are planning to eat. |
||
|
indygoman |
|||
|
Posts: 538 (06/08/09 6:55 PM) |
Fiddleheads do have some mild toxics but its removed in the boiling process ...and just like most things its a seasonal treat .They sell out in our local
grocery stores real quik and they go hand in hand with fresh lobster or atlantic salmon . I've been eating them this way as long as I can remember .
|
||
|
Cuddles McKitten |
|||
|
Posts: 104 (06/09/09 12:27 PM) |
Rocks in Head wrote: I tried some this year and ate them by sauteing in a little butter and adding a bit of salt and vinegar. Since that's the only way I've eaten them, I don't really have any other frame of reference but they tasted very, very good that way. |
||
|
Rocks in Head |
|||
|
Posts: 365 (06/09/09 2:04 PM) |
Cuddles, I've a nice patch of them on my property so I will definately have to give them a try next year. Thanks for the idea.
|
||
|
Ozzie Matt |
|||
|
Posts: 2 (06/21/09 5:31 AM) |
Mature Bracken fern inhibits your ability to adsorb vitamin B, and this will kill you eventually. The fiddle heads are said to be carcinogenic, though some
survival books do list them as a food source. I have read however, that the New Zealand Maori used the roots from Bracken Fern as a main staple in their diet
(pre-European contact), though the preparation procedure was quite involved.
|
||
