What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered.-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ostrich Fern
Ostrich ferns are quite easy to spot, having two identifying characteristics. Firstly, they’ll have thin papery brown scales around the fiddleheads. This falls off as the fiddlehead unfurls. Secondly, a deep U-shaped groove is present on the inside of the otherwise smooth stem – think of the shape of a celery stalk.
Ostrich ferns grow in groups of three to 12 fronds -- or fiddleheads when young -- and thrive in shady, cool environments. Look for them from late April to early June along streams, brooks and rivers. grow best in protected areas that do not receive much wind and have rich, moist soil.
Fiddleheads were stored in a cold area for up to two weeks after harvest. Ostrich ferns taste like a mixture of asparagus, green beans, and broccoli and must be steamed or boiled before eating.
Cinnamon Fern
Like its relatives, the Cinnamon Fern produces fiddleheads that later develop to fronds,The fiddleheads of Cinnamon Ferns are covered with woolly white or reddish hairs which grow to bright green wands, then later turning an easily seen deep cinnamon brown.
Cinnamon Ferns have been used as a food source in the past, particularly by native Americans such as the Abernaki and Menominee as they grew prolifically there. They were also used for medicinal purposes. The plant was used as a remedy for chills, headache, joint pain, and colds and also for rheumatism.
Boil in salted water for 8-10 minutes. Some people have eaten the fern heads raw with no ill effects, but that it's not recommended as they do contain some mild toxins that can give you indigestion. Drain and saute in a hot pan with butter and minced garlic, adding salt and pepper as desired. Serve warm.
Maidenhair Fern
Maidenhair ferns are often found in hardwood forests and can grow up to 2ft tall. In North America there are 9 species and 150-200 worldwide. This fern can be ID'd by looking at the stalk. It should be long and black. The stalks of this fern are great for basket weaving because of their size.
The Iroquois in the 1600's + drank this fern as a tea. Other accounts indicate that the fiddleheads have been used as a vegetable, steamed in a little water, or eaten raw and was a big part of their diet. Maidenhair Fern was highly valued as a medicinal plant by some 19th century practitioners.
It was used in the form of a syrup to treat nasal congestion, asthma, and sore throat. The Cherokee applied a compound decoction of root for rheumatism. They smoked the powered leaves for heart trouble and asthma. Other groups used an infusion of dried fronds as a remedy for shortness of breath.
Rattlesnake fern
This easy to identify fern has a triangular frond divided three to four times into cut-margined leaflets, and the slender, pale stalk which produces all the spores. Everywhere I research I read that it is boiled and eaten in the Himalayas. It does not say which part of the plant is used, though probably the root.
A University of Michigan medicinal plant database reports that the Cherokee made a decoction of Rattlesnake Fern root which they boiled down to a syrup, which they rubbed on snakebites. The Chippewa made a poultice of the fern's freshly mashed root for the same purpose.
Bracken Fern
One of the oldest ferns in the world with fossil records going back 55 million years.
Bracken ferns, enjoyed all over the world are a good source of antioxidants, vitamins (especially vitamin A & carotenes), electrolytes, omega-3 & omega-6 essential fatty acids, minerals (especially potassium, iron, manganese & copper)
The large, feathery fronds of the bracken fern usually rise several feet above the forest floor from thick underground stems (rhizomes). In general this is the tallest and fastest growing of the ferns, reaching heights up to 16 feet. By the fall as these fronds turn yellow and shriveled brown by winter.
The fiddleheads of this fern have been eaten as a vegetable in many parts of the world. The Korean have a dish bibimbap, or as a simple bowl of marinated fiddleheads. The thick starchy rhizomes were widely used for food by Northwest Native peoples after being roasted, peeled and also pounded into flour.
Sensitive fern
The young fiddleheads are used as a vegetable by removing the brown scales and then steaming the leaves in very little water. The root was boiled or roasted and then peeled. Known as sensitive ferns because they are among the first plants to respond by completely going dormant with the slightest frost.
Sensitive Ferns tall rust colored fronds are visible through winter. This fern was recorded as being used by Lenapes and Iroquoians to be used for arthritis. Sensitive ferns are also known as bead ferns because of their bead-like fertile fronds