Subject: Re: Bracken ferns

From: [email-masked]
Date: 29 Mar 95 20:28:16 AST

In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Alan D. Robl) writes:
>I heard that people of the Asian persuassion enjoy eating bracken ferns
>that just pop their tender sucullent heads from the surface of the forest
>floor. Is this true and is there money to be made here?
>-- 
>1

Please be very careful when trying wild plants. The fern that is commonly eaten
in the Maritime region of Canada where I'm from is the Ostrich Fern (Pteretis
pensylvanica). This fern is sold commercially here as fiddleheads. 
However, the Braken or Pasture Brake fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is
reported as being edible, BUT Peterson, L.A., in "Edible Wild Plants" indicates
that "recent evidence from Japan suggests a link between the excessive
consumption of braken over an extended period of time and a high incidence of
stomach cancer". As well, eating the raw plant can be a problem as it has an
enzyme that destroys vitamin B1. Before trying any new or wild plant please
check out the available literature for potential toxic effects.

Happy and healthy foraging

Dennis Moerman

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From: [email-masked]
Date: 29 Mar 95 20:28:16 AST

Dennis Moerman

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From: Karen Russell <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 31 Mar 1995 10:07:21 -0800

I don't want to eat them, I just want them to die.  How do you get rid of 
bracken fern, it's coming up through rockery, doug fir roots, my finally 
well developed clump of cyclamen and some of the few sunny gardening spot 
I have. Help!!
Karen
Seattle, Zone 8

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From: [email-masked] (John Tusciuk)
Date: 30 Mar 1995 14:11:03 -0500

[email-masked] wrote:
: In article <[email-masked]>, [email-masked] (Alan D. Robl) writes:
: >I heard that people of the Asian persuassion enjoy eating bracken ferns
: >that just pop their tender sucullent heads from the surface of the forest
: >floor. Is this true and is there money to be made here?

: Please be very careful when trying wild plants. The fern that is commonly eaten
: in the Maritime region of Canada where I'm from is the Ostrich Fern (Pteretis
: pensylvanica). This fern is sold commercially here as fiddleheads. 
: However, the Braken or Pasture Brake fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is
: reported as being edible, BUT Peterson, L.A., in "Edible Wild Plants" indicates
: that "recent evidence from Japan suggests a link between the excessive
: consumption of braken over an extended period of time and a high incidence of
: stomach cancer". As well, eating the raw plant can be a problem as it has an
: enzyme that destroys vitamin B1. Before trying any new or wild plant please
: check out the available literature for potential toxic effects.

I also recall seeing a TV show about bracken that gave credit for
bracken's successfulness and invasiveness to a host of insecticidal
compounds, including some that are cyanide based.  I can't imagine
that these would be healthy to eat.

John