Common Fiddlehead Ostrich Fern Look Alikes - DON'T make this mistake - Some are toxic

If you live in the Midwest you're probably picking the WRONG fiddleheads. How to tell true fiddlehead ostrich ferns apart from cinnamon fern(TOXIC), fragile Fern, bracken fern (CARCINOGENIC), lady fern, and toothed wood fern(Bitter and found all over the Midwest).
Transcript: Today, on the very first episode of "stuff you just can't have, no really, even though its growing you just can't have it"- we are going to look at some ostrich fern fiddle head lookalikes. Nearly all ferns have a growth stage where they look like a fiddle-head but for purposes of this video we will treat the Ostrich Fern Fiddle head as the only true edible fiddle head in north America. You can read on the internet about other more common varieties that people do also eat. Some people eat the bracken fern and say that if you prepare it properly it removes the carcinogens it contains but I don't know if that works and I'm not going to cover that. Some people also eat other varieties like the lady fern which purportedly just isn't that great tasting and then there's the cinnamon fern that doesn't taste good at all and makes some people feel kind of sick. When you're looking for fiddle heads you're looking for two key characteristics. One is the papery onion skin like husk that is loosely attached and tends to fall away as the fern matures and the other is the distinct characteristic 'U' shape or celery rib shaped stalk. Here's the problem though. If you are out looking for fiddleheads at the proper time of year you will find a ton of little fiddle head lookalikes that have brown paper skin. Just look at all these. Seriously they are all over the place. you even see pictures of these ferns on blog posts being represented as true ostrich fern fiddleheads. But actually these don't have the characteristic celery rib shaped stalk. Not now, and not when they get bigger. If you start unraveling some of these and squint you can sort of convince yourself that the stem is sort of hollowed out on the inside but really it's more just flat on the interior. Oh and before you get mad at me for picking something I wasn't going to eat don't worry I got these from a freshly clear cut utility right of way. this spot will be far too sunny when summer comes to support any fern growth so these little guys unfortunately weren't going to make it anyway. Another thing about these is that the paper skin tends to hang on for a long time and it will cling to the stalks even as they reach 6 inches in height. The paper skin of true ostrich ferns comes right off but cleaning these up is a total pain. as far as edibility goes, I blanched, sauteed and tasted a tiny amount- which you definitely should not do - I did it so no one else would have to - but they taste really bitter. They taste just like a very bitter, generic vegetable.
So what are these? These are a somewhat ubiquitous type of fern known commonly as the toothed wood Fern or narrow buckler Fern. The scientific name is dryopteris carthusiana. These toothed wood ferns are native to and very common throughout the Northeastern US and the Upper Midwest and are pretty widely dispersed throughout the rest of the northern and the Central United States. They are also native to every province in Canada. Historically, these ferns were eaten as a boiled vegetable by indigenous peoples of North America. Not much is known about the chemical components of toothed wood fern, we don't know if it contains carcinogens or if boiling them would neutralize any carcinogens it may contain, but we do know it contains an enzyme known as thiaminase. This enzyme robs the body of vitamin B. This isn't much of a concern assuming the eater has a healthy diet and consumes only small quantities.
A good way to scout for ostrich ferns is to look for the fertile fronds. These stick generally straight up and are brown and bushy. But don't be fooled by these guys. these are the fertile fronds of the sensitive fern, so named by early American settlers because of its tendency to die back at the first frost. these guys are toxic and they share a lot of the same habitat as the Ostrich fern.
Speaking of habitat this is the range where the fiddle head can be found. I don't know why Michigan doesn't report it's county data to the forest service but in Michigan it can be found in the southern lower peninsula and the entire upper peninsula. I wanted to show you this because a lot of plant distribution maps tend to depict the entire state as having the plant even if it has been found in only one county. So according to the map the most prolific and widespread populations of ostrich ferns seem to be located located in the northeast u.s. and in the maritime provinces of Canada. And in fact the village of tide head in new Bruns...
Dryoperis Carthusiana Photos
By Wasp32 - Own work, CC BY 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...
By Wasp32 - Own work, CC BY 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index...

[@kathvg]

Found a bunch of fiddleheads and brought them home. Found out only half were true ostrich ferns. Thanks for the help. Another thing that might help in identifying them is ostrich ferns do not smell bitter like toothed wood ferns do.

[@eatingoutside5266]

I'm glad I could help!

[@davidroyal7152]

Thanks, this is great! I found a bunch of fiddleheads this year (in Nova Scotia) and your video helped me to be more confident in telling it apart from imposters.

[@marcush4741]

This video is WAY underrated. Thank you.

[@maggiecain]

Thank you! This was so helpful. I have a small handful of wood fern fiddleheads that I was about 50% sure were ostrich, but your video taught me that no, they are not. I won't make that mistake again.

[@SnailHatan]

Pleasantly surprising video quality for such a small channel. Great work, man. Thanks 🤙🏼

[@incanada83]

Perfect video with perfect timing. Thank you very much! Love the timeline 🙂

[@LeafyK]

Splendid video. Especially the per-county distribution and the distinguishing features. Subscribed.

[@comeflywithme1694]

Thank you! Just found a bunch of non-ostrich fern fiddleheads today. Your video is very helpful.

[@jbal6097]

Thanks for info…mentioning the Sensitive Fern. I have a plant identification app and it was listing the Ostrich Fern as another name for Sensitive Fern. I was pretty sure that was incorrect, but it’s nice to have it verified.

[@rose-fg9ui]

I live in Tide Head, Canada and picked my first fiddle heads. Your video made me feel confident that I did indeed pick the ostrich fern. Thanks so much!

[@laughinglarry591]

Great video very informative seem like a person of solid character and out there giving solid advice, just spotted what I thought were fiddleheads but now know they’re not.

[@yukonsmomma3562]

Your video was very helpful. I had a handful of fiddleheads that didn't have the groove and the paper like coating was not coming off. They will feed my compost instead of my family. Thank you!

[@JennaSakura]

I’m from Minnesota and we have a ton of theses growing at the park near my house. I’ve always wondered if they were edible. Thanks for the video!!!!!!!!!

[@joannelanglois7495]

Super informative! Very clear with your explanations too 🙂 Thank you!

[@eatingoutside5266]

Thanks I'm glad you found it helpful.

[@pisgah45732]

great stuff!

[@1980aphillips]

I just found some in the Upper Peninsula in Ironwood. They have a covering around them like a cocoon around a larvae. I wonder if the ones I found are okay.... They were like up to 1' tall but most were more like in groups of like 4 or more and like up to 6"tall. I'll to check again. I found a couple hen of the Wood and some leeks and this is really a Huge one on my list to have in my saute dish...

[@_Moonlight92]

Awesome thank you

[@eleanorrose3523]

Super helpful!

[@eatingoutside5266]

Glad it was helpful!

[@jencurtis4627]

This ruled. Super helpful.

[@eatingoutside5266]

Thanks Jen. Glad I could help! What kinds of plants/mushrooms have you been foraging lately? Did you get any morels this season?

[@sebeech7048]

Thanks for this guide, I found it very useful!

[@eatingoutside5266]

Thanks I'm glad it helped! Are there any other plants or mushrooms you want to know more about?

[@AJ-yw7hf]

@@eatingoutside5266 - Hi. Do you happen to know of any particular, plentiful, wild plant in South Carolina that's edible and tasty (or at least edible and not bad-tasting) that grows in wooded areas &/or by lakes in South Carolina? If so, it would be helpful to know how to identify & prepare it. :)

[@travisvarpness2845]

Thanks bud

[@eatingoutside5266]

You're welcome!

[@spudster5516]

yeah you really have to be able to tell the difference!

[@shermanmathieu6981]

Bracken ferns, or fern brake, can be rendered safe from carcinogens by cooking. Korean cuisine has included bracken fern (gosari) and their fiddleheads for thousands of years. If you've ever eaten the very popular Korean dish, bibimbap, then you've likely eaten bracken fern.

[@eatingoutside5266]

Very informative comment thank you Sherman. I have indeed eaten bibimbap I had no idea I was eating bracken fern! Thank you.

[@AJ-yw7hf]

If I understand correctly, people have to be careful not to undercook it and not to eat it too often.

[@ifbei]

korea also has high rates of stomach cancer so...

[@Groglor]

Just ate like 25 cinnamon ferns last night after boiling. I feel fine lol. Ate one raw.

[@morganstrickland9759]

I read that ostrich ferns don't have hairs on the stem and that's why the brown paper comes off easily.

[@YouHaveAGoodPoint]

I’m in PA. I’m gonna see if I can find some in my woods!

[@eatingoutside5266]

Good luck!

[@mr__dawe6502]

Thanks man, should be easy to tell what's what now

[@eatingoutside5266]

Glad to help. What other plants or mushrooms would you like info about?

[@1980aphillips]

Mine i found are much more bigger as well

[@phemore54]

Mine have the ridge and the brown feather and paper on the fiddle head, but it is fuzzy on the back. Not sure if it is Ostrich fern or not, any suggestions?

[@eatingoutside5266]

Hi patricia. Without pictures it's difficult to speculate. Could you please post some?

[@phemore54]

@@eatingoutside5266 I have some but not sure how to send pic on KZbin...

[@phemore54]

@@eatingoutside5266 photos.app.goo.gl/Ts5qujSrdc9gStDW7 I put the pics on a google album, hope it works, thanks

[@eatingoutside5266]

Upload them at imgur.com and then post the links here in a comment.

[@phemore54]

@@eatingoutside5266 imgur.com/a/muqK197 Thanks!

[@yeeaahhzz]

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