Content
- Is the fern edible?
- Highly toxic and weakly poisonous ferns - difficult to distinguish
- Fernspitzen - Delicatessen?
- Ostrich fern and cinnamon fern are edible
- Collect and prepare the fern tips
- Tips & Tricks
The ostrich fern is edible
Is the fern edible?
Ferns exist in forests in excess. In some gardens, they also grow and in some homes they provide a healthy indoor climate. But are these plants edible or should one be wary of eating them?
Highly toxic and weakly poisonous ferns - difficult to distinguish
Who likes to voluntarily take the risk of poisoning? Therefore you should not eat a fern. Many species, which are native to this country, are highly toxic. And the few of them who are mildly toxic may find it difficult to distinguish them from the others.
Since ferns produce neither flowers nor fruits, but are mainly recognizable by their fronds, it can be difficult to distinguish a highly venomous bracken from a less poisonous ostrich fern. Even experts can usually distinguish ferns only on the basis of the colors and arrangement of the spore capsules. But spores are not always there ...
Fernspitzen - Delicatessen?
In some parts of the world, the tops of some ferns are considered a delicacy. Among others, they are often eaten in Canada, parts of the USA, Korea, Japan and New Zealand. It is the young and not yet unrolled leaves that are used in the kitchen. Called 'fiddleheads' in America, they are even commercially available as popular spring vegetables.
Ostrich fern and cinnamon fern are edible
Ostrich fern and cinnamon fern are considered food:
Collect and prepare the fern tips
The young, tender and still curled fronds are collected. Afterwards they are carefully washed, freed from the brown husk and then cooked. They can be brewed, steamed, roasted or fried. Through the cooking process disappears the bitter aftertaste. The fern tips are often served with butter and salt.
Tips & Tricks
If you want to try fern tips, you'd better not harvest them yourself. The likelihood of confusion is too high! It is better to buy the fern tips over the Internet, for example, or to taste them at an American vacation in the restaurant.