EatTheWeeds: Episode 122: Sword Fern

www.eattheweeds.com/nephrolepi...
Though tropical, sword ferns with edible tubers can be found around the world and in cooler climates as ornamentals in pots kept through the winter. Eat them when you find them them, add them to salads, boil or bake them.

[@squidguts]

Your like the Alton Brown of the plant world. Born and raised in Florida and an advent camper I was always searching for information on edible plants and came up with little to nothing, thank you for providing the information I always wanted to know. Keep on doing what your doing.

[@SPrestwood]

I just finished watching all 122 videos, it took me 31 days and I cant wait for the next 122.

[@angelabaril104]

Dean, I live in Manatee Co. FL on my Grandmothers 100 year old homestead near a swamp on the Myakka River and I had these ferns growing wild everywhere and I paid some one to pull them all up out of the yard. I am kicking my but now, if I had known they were edible I would have not pulled them out. When more come up I will leave them to spread again. Thanks again for teaching me something else.

[@gokucrazy22]

in Asian cuisine, the fiddleheads are often dried and then rehydrated. they are also simply boiled. it is seasoned with seseame oil, soy sauce and a few other spices. There is a way to prepare them and it removes the bitter flavors. I'm not really sure how...

[@ahamoments132]

Thank you, Green Dean!!!! I used to encounter this plant with fear and dread in my garden 10 hours south of here.. It was a horror weed... Now I find I can eat it, but, whilst checking on the weed status of a small patch of sword ferns in our own space, I discovered it is native to where I now live!! So in this instance I'm not even eating weeds, but foraging endemic food, on our clean water piece of paradise... That is so cool!!!! .Eat the Weeds!!! Yes indeed! Thank you.

[@phrankus2009]

Hey, Dean ... Though you do wear "frilly" well, I (for one) am thankful that you changed back into your safaari-duds, early on (there's no accounting for taste). ... I am very glad to learn that, next time I stay at the Waldorf, I can skip the mini-bar and go straight to the main lobby, for a free snack. Sure do wish you lived in Austin. Would just love to hike the various eco-zones, of Central Texas, with you. From the looks of your yard, you don't often need to venture very far.

[@veddylicious01]

Thank you. I got plenty of those fern tubers in my yard and didn't know they are edible ❤️

[@kathyhirsch379]

Wow I almost got rid of it , to plant more edible plants thanks 😊😊

[@ruthlongridge2137]

Thank you and bless you for this. I am so grateful that I found your channel!

[@greendeane1]

Thank you for your kind words.

[@mariemorris60]

Hoping for Episode 123 soon. All the videos are terrific. Can't wait for more. Marie

[@EatTheWeeds]

@guest2424 There was a method to my madness. I used the purple potatoes to compliment the fern tubers and the kiwi (and to a lesser extent the red pepper) to add sweetness. The lime juice was the tart.

[@tigger8895]

You did a great job! Thank you so much... I hope you get a show soon!

[@Tsmace33]

It took a while to find a one spot source with all the edible fern knowledge thankyou so much

[@EatTheWeeds]

@likelivingstones Fern fiddleheads, such as those picked in the spring in northern climates, are implicated in causing cancer. The chemical even causes cancer when it leaches into the water supply. Like many things, a few cooked fiddleheads in the spring probablly aren't bad.

[@jjasperchan]

i live in new zealand, and was glad to learn of these ferns, as there are many over here lovely videos.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@charronfamilyconnect thanks for writing... actually the majority of the plants I mention are in your area but if you want a naturalist closer to you google Steve Brill.

[@camoflux9277]

Wow. I was watching your video on acorns and this was recommended on the side. I had no idea how many plants were edible all around. Coincidentally I had just pulled up a bunch of sword ferns and I had them lying on the ground. I impatiently finished watching the video, hurried outside, and sure enough, the uprooted plants had tubers. I promptly ate them. They taste like walnuts to me. The ones that had been lying around for a few days tasted less astringent to me. Drying seemed to do this.

[@hilarywhatley1335]

Another edible growing in bunches in my neighborhood! Thank you!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@AresCassell There are five species of sword ferns in Florida, only one has the tubers. Also, if it has been dry in the area the ferns will have used the water in the tubers and not have them.

[@patje0109]

Good to know, I have Sword farn in my garden!!! Thanks for sharing Dean!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@RaidenTheAlmighty If one does not look close enough there is always a change. If you have a Nephrolepis and it has a water storage unit, it is edible. That storage unit is different than a starchy root.

[@MRBARTHEL]

Love your videos. Thanks for the education it is priceless.

[@HayItsJ]

thank you so much for these videos!

[@ericladnier]

It's official! You now have more hats than anyone else on youtube.

[@otakop67]

@EatTheWeeds Thanks for your answer! Looks like I'll need to stop in a garden shop this weekend and pick one up.

[@nathangardenfawkes2910]

Excellent Info Green Deane :D.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@123JumpingJacks Thanks for writing. Weeds don't know state lines. The majority of the plants on my website and my videos are in your area. Or, look up Wildman Steve Brill. He is a forager of note in your area.

[@EatTheWeeds]

Cooking methods do make a difference. Baking them makes them taste much better than boiling them. Also, peoples' opinions on what is good and bad is somewhat subjective. I don't care for them raw but roasted I enjoy them.

[@janetbransdon3742]

WOW to think I used to thin these out and throw on the compost... I will certainly be trying this plant as a food source.. thank you... subscribed. Greetings from Australia 🦘🐾🐨

[@jaxflfreebird]

I have a whole bunch of these ferns bordering a flowerbed just on the edge of the road which is private and owned by my neighbor. I needed an edge of sorts for a flowerbed that I built and so I transplanted a bunch of them. They get a LOT of sun and it can be rather dry near the road but they are thriving and I guess it is due to some shade from a maple tree and maybe some shade from my neighbor's tree. So against the odds they are doing well in a place I didn't think they would grow. It may help that we live near some woods. Maybe it is a little bit cooler. That said, many oaks trees have been removed from the houses around mine in the last ten years plus one huge oak tree in my own backyard. Somehow though the ferns are doing well and they look great. They just jut out to the left, to the right and straight up. They grown in very ornamental way.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@28bull Unknown. These are water storage units of sword ferns. Some ferns have starchy roots that are edible but you would have to identify the species first.

[@abhimanyau]

This is my favourite,I have eaten many times,Thanks for your awesome video

[@FusionDeveloper]

@digdugdiggy I burst out laughing when i read "Green Bean".

[@TheFloridaprepper]

I found some and tried the tubers raw. Tasted O.K. the first few chews, then a really bad aftertaste. Had to spit them out. I'll try baking them to shrink them up next time and see if that improves the flavor.

[@charronfamilyconnect]

@EatTheWeeds Thanks for the references. I will check into that. Ever heard of Mark Boyle, a young economics grad who lived for I believe two years without money. He lived off the land by a forest,combined with a small vegetable garden. I wouldn't mind living in the woods like grizzly adams for a few months just to experience an environment without materialism. Thanks again!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@scotchheather I don't think so. They are for water storage.The plant often grows on trees and needs to store rain water.

[@peacefulscrimp5183]

Great video 👍

[@EatTheWeeds]

@CORNP00 They don't spoil per se but they do dry out. Their function is to act a a water reservoir.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@GrdnovGreens The function of the tubers is to store water in good times for use in dry times.

[@lavenderraines]

They might taste odd but if you had to live off the land and you need food this is good information.

[@stonescorpio]

We have a LOT of sword ferns in the Pacific Northwest. On the Olympic Peninsula, they get downright huge. Having done field work out there, I've always been grateful that our variety of sword fern can't be uprooted as easily as those in your video. On a slick slope, a handful of sword fern fronds is often the best and only safety line available. Though now I'm curious what I'd find if I did manage to uproot one of those fellows.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@SHTFMilitia No. More like an astringent water chestnuts crossed with a potato.

[@DocTeeachci]

ferns are all over southeast louisiana.....will try this soon. tytyty

[@FusionDeveloper]

"Nephrolepis cordifolia" I believe I have some of those in my yard and in some woods. A+ video. I might have to try one if i properly ID it 100% without any question ;). OMG! KIWI!!!!!! MMMMMM!!!!! KIWI is one of the best fruits IMO.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@gaiagale When it comes to puns about ferns I am very frond of them.

[@tomhardy7359]

thank you for the video

[@EatTheWeeds]

Yes, I've grown them.

[@digdugdiggy]

Green Bean, I would really love to see an episode about plants that you can use as cordage, and drop spinning!

[@K2Mountain83]

yeah ill give it a shot the root mass is dense so it's possible I just missed them I will be stoked if i find those things!

[@brendahodgins]

I wondered about that. The ones he showed are our Boston Ferns... But the nettles will be out and ever so yummy, do try them if you have not already. Get em under 6" and wear gloves. Take lots the first time because they are very yummy!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@spenfisher2 Purple potatoes? You can get them from almost any seed store or grocery store. Yes, they will grow in Ohio.

[@MmmBBQQ]

Dont grow here is Missouri, but would love to try them when we go on vacation

[@LeonRFpoa]

Hey green Deane- do we have these up in Georgia? Methinks I see quite a few of them.

[@GrdnovGreens]

I'm curious if the plant could be repotted once the tubers are harvested. I have some river fern (as my grandmother called it), I'll have to check and see if that is edible, I never even thought! I actually took a clump from a river to my grandmother when I was a kid, some 30 years ago. The original has been divided though the whole family it seems :) Would be fascinating to find out this whole time we have been growing an edible!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@LeonRFpoa Yes, they have spread into Georgia in the last 70 years.

[@AresCassell]

I live outside Orlando and have seen this fern growing everywhere. I have yanked it a few times but have found no tubers though :*^(

[@EatTheWeeds]

You would need to pot them and take them inside for the winter. They are hardy only down to about 25F.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@timberboy1984 In the sword fern entry on my website I list the ferns that have been used for other than fiddleheads.

[@benqohelet]

we would call that a fern tater here in alabama...lol

[@ConcernedMushroom]

why do ferns sometimes require "microscopic identification" ? i've listened to it three times and cannot quite catch what you are saying at 8:37 thanks, always enjoy your videos

[@GaelofVirtue]

awesome! Thanks!

[@charronfamilyconnect]

Thanks for the amazing videos. Very informative. Do you have any for the northern parts of North america. I live just north of Canada/US border . I was wondering what kind of weeds I could eat out here . I know we have dandelions for example but I dont know what else is edible in the outdoors here. Any references/videos about edibles in my parts? Thanks!

[@EatTheWeeds]

@PissedFechtmeister No it varies from species to species.

[@Danuishi]

NO WAY!!!!! Thank you!

[@RaiyanKamal]

That's great. Thanks.

[@AliBoPhoto]

Thank you for making this video! I have a nice group of these ferns in my yard, and collected quite a few tubers today! Going to roast them soon. :)

[@hilarywhatley1335]

How did it turn out ? :)

[@hrep14]

Interesting video. I've got an infestation of similar looking fishbone ferns in part of the garden I'm try to get rid of. It's laid a mat of old stems in the undergrowth that has choked out other plants.

[@EatTheWeeds]

@BACKWOODSBLISS While some species of Asparagus do have edible roots Asparagus densiflorus' roots are not listed as edible.

[@faribadadi1339]

EatTheWeeds o

[@123JumpingJacks]

Can you do an episode on New jersey weeds to eat?

[@Yameuh17]

They are sword-of green fern-instance!

[@EatTheWeeds]

Sorry for my tardy reply. It's a bamboo I got from a company in Alabam about 12 years ago. Can't remember its name but it was the only one they sold that said the shoots were edible raw (I doubt that) but that they were quite edible. And all that may be true but it is very slow growing. I have had a shoot to spare in the last 12 years to even try it.

[@EatTheWeeds]

The young fiddleheads are edible boiled.

[@thanrose]

@otakop67 Yeah, it will keep growing and it will produce more tubers eventually, probably almost a year later though.

[@TheBarefootedGardener]

Deane, there is some kind of bamboo behind yoy at 1;02-1:11~ what species is it? native Arundinaria? (Endangered) btw... some bamboo shoots are edible.

[@naturalgains8732]

you should do a video on dillweed. it's everywhere in Florida.

[@greengregs]

Does that mean you can eat any tube you find under any fern?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@ConcernedMushroom I say they often need microscopic examination because "they can be rather difficult."

[@Windyhillfarm71]

If you pull these up and take the tuber's can you put the roots back into the ground and they keep on growing.

[@openmypackage]

I found them on Mount Madonna in Gilroy California.

[@mathewhunt81]

hairy balls haha. great video !!

[@BootsJordan8]

If you remove them then re-plant the fern will it continue to grow?

[@andrewbarlow8937]

Delicious

[@EatTheWeeds]

@SPrestwood Wow... even I don't watch them all. Can I send you something for the headache you must have?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@digdugdiggy Green Deane... Deane.... I specialize in edible not tie-ables .... however I have done videon on at least two plants imported specifically for cordage, Caesar weed and skunk vine.

[@AngeltashaUK]

Are all ferns edible or only a few types? I think i may have an ostrich fern as the leaves are very wide

[@RaidenTheAlmighty]

The "tubers" on ferns I have are about the size of marble, hairy and watery.

[@EatTheWeeds]

yes....

[@joshuabrown455]

Music starting at 7:26 - what is it? Quite interested to know :)

[@darthheyzues5797]

All hale Green Dean ! I stumbled across this treasure trove of information via www.permies.com. On guard!

[@billgatesfanclub]

Darth HeyZues cheers, fellow permie!

[@chunkiemonkeey]

The tubers on the sword fern kind of feel like grapes.

[@zestoslife]

Over here we call the purple potatoes generically a Maori potato or specifically Tutaekuri or Urenika. What are they called in the US?

[@EatTheWeeds]

@Whistt Lighting perhaps... I know it wasn't something I ate...

[@BlueBirdBaby]

Wow i just found this and wasnt sure

[@scott102164]

Would these tubers have any significant nutrional value?

[@timberboy1984]

hey dean what other ferns are edible

[@YNOT100026]

@DemonHide Okay, thanks for telling us.

[@slamminshaft]

what fern is it that has a liquorice tasting root? i remember as a kid up here in bc eating them

[@shaboingboing799]

Great

[@28bull]

Are tubers,if any, on SW Penna fiddlehead safe to eat.?

[@K2Mountain83]

Well I've pulled some up and the only thing I saw were roots?

[@Ansar866]

When I was at school I was using this seeds to clean my slate