What would you forage in your local area?
- Thread starter Tony
- Start date
All depends upon the species of fern. Some of them ((eg Bracken) produce large amounts of oxalic acid.
The bitterness should put you off before you can eat a toxic amount.
We have 2 different species which almost look alike until the differences are pointed out.
Your better plant books ought to have ethnobotanical notes to select from.
Having said that, individual sensitivities vary a lot.
I can eat large amounts of them fried in butter with garlic and S&P.
Cream of Fern Fiddlehead soup is a wonderful spring dish.
My poor partner would be stuck on the crapper for 2-3 days.
The bitterness should put you off before you can eat a toxic amount.
We have 2 different species which almost look alike until the differences are pointed out.
Your better plant books ought to have ethnobotanical notes to select from.
Having said that, individual sensitivities vary a lot.
I can eat large amounts of them fried in butter with garlic and S&P.
Cream of Fern Fiddlehead soup is a wonderful spring dish.
My poor partner would be stuck on the crapper for 2-3 days.
...not come across sycamore peas before?....is that leaf buds?...everyday is an education!
No, they're the 'pea' bit at the end of the sycamore wing. They overWinter here, and they grow fat as they swell. They're green inside the brown skin.
I've eaten them since childhood, not a meal's worth but just even yet I spot them and have a munch
Wait and see, someone'll be along to tell me they're toxic :roll:
M
I've eaten them since childhood, not a meal's worth but just even yet I spot them and have a munch
Wait and see, someone'll be along to tell me they're toxic :roll:
M
Well, if they are, it explains a lot
. I have pickled them in the past trying to make a caper replacement of some kind.
Nice idea, how did it work out ?
Honestly, they're like peas to eat just now and there are literally thousand upon thousand of them. There's an enormous sycamore just the other side of the burn path from my garden. It's like a blizzard at times when they're all flying down.
M
Honestly, they're like peas to eat just now
and there are literally thousand upon thousand of them. There's an enormous sycamore just the other side of the burn path from my garden. It's like a blizzard at times when they're all flying down.M
No, they're the 'pea' bit at the end of the sycamore wing. They overWinter here, and they grow fat as they swell. They're green inside the brown skin.
I've eaten them since childhood, not a meal's worth but just even yet I spot them and have a munch
Wait and see, someone'll be along to tell me they're toxic :roll:
M
Ahhhhhh, okay....the seed bit....I'm off to look at the trees!
Exactly what species do you mean when speaking of "sycamore". There seems to be a few alternatives.
Fiddleheads are good. Earthy and chewy. They'll be selling them in the shops here soon. I like them fried a bit in bacon fat ... but then I could probably eat my own toes if they were fried in bacon fat.
Dandylion greens will show up in shops in a couple of months too. They benefit from similar treatment.
Note that Mint, Thyme, Sage and Rosemary are often easy to forage in urban circumstances given municipal tastes in this decorative area
Very large licensed fiddlehead harvesting areas east of Prince George towards Giscome in central BC.
Fresh airfreight direct to Paris, France, daily out of YXS.
Billy-o: not everybody can tolerate fiddleheads like you and I can.
I'll steam and pure' them for a cream soup, a dozen for a garnish.
I'd like to have herbs just outside my front door but the damn deer eat everything.
Fresh airfreight direct to Paris, France, daily out of YXS.
Billy-o: not everybody can tolerate fiddleheads like you and I can.
I'll steam and pure' them for a cream soup, a dozen for a garnish.
I'd like to have herbs just outside my front door but the damn deer eat everything.
I think you need to quote the actual species name if you are going to recommend them. I do eat fiddleheads from Pteridium aquilinum (what we call bracken) but only in moderation - probably only once or twice a year.
We've been keeping our eye out when going for bike rides with the kids, it really feels like spring is here now which is great for the plants.
I love TeeDee's Nettle fritters, easy to make and tasty tasty!
I love TeeDee's Nettle fritters, easy to make and tasty tasty!
Agreed! We use the young shoots from Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium) which we call fiddleheads (very similar shape). Also very delicious, although, as it"s in the Umbellifer family, care must be taken with ID.
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