A mound of edible, ostrich fern fiddleheads greeted customers this week at City Market in Burlington. Before cleaning, the heads are sheathed in a thin, papery membrane. Another key to identification: a pronounced, concave stalk. Although the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is considered non-toxic by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention - the agency - and many chefs - recommend steaming or boiling raw heads to kill resident bacteria that can induce nausea. / JOEL BANNER BAIRD, Free Press
Amound of bright green ostrich fern fiddleheads, popular with localvores, greeted customers this week at City Market in Burlington.
Other ferns have fiddleheads as they unfold in the spring — many of them in residential gardens. But they have a tubular stalk and typically are covered in a fine, thin fuzz.
Why bother with the difference? If you eat the wrong variety of fiddlehead, you could end up with severe stomach discomfort.
Once, the tightly curled shoots of the ostrich fern were a spring treat eaten by primarily rural folk hungry for something fresh and green after the long winter. Then, the localvore craze swept through Vermont, and fiddleheads were in demand. The seasonal delicacy is featured on restaurant menus and commands $10 a pound or more in urban markets.
One result of the exploding demand is widespread, heavy cutting of the fern shoots. That has botanists and land managers worried that over-harvesting could deplete what once seemed an endless supply of fiddleheads — particularly in easily accessible, populated areas such as the Winooski floodplain in Chittenden County.
Fiddleheads on display in the grocery aisle definitely are edible, said Mary Manghis, City Market's produce buyer. A sure sign: Before cleaning, the heads are sheathed in a thin, papery membrane, she said.
Another key to identification is the ostrich fern's pronounced, concave, celery-like stalk. It's smooth, too: no fuzz.
A final tip: Although the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) fiddlehead is considered nontoxic by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the agency — and Manghis — recommend steaming or boiling raw heads to kill resident bacteria that can induce nausea.
Then saute away.
Contributing: Free Press Staff Writer Candace Page.