Comments on: Fiddlehead Ferns

By: Sarah XM

Sarah XM — Mon, 21 May 2012 19:13:49 +0000

Just finished parboiling some ostrich fern fiddleheads (the edible ones that are sold all over Canada and harvested here in New Brunswick every spring)to be eaten later in the year. I have been eating them for years, love them, and will continue to eat them. However, both my then thirteen year old son and I got sick from eating some while camping in the summer of 2001, without doubt because we cooked them too short a time. Not only were we sick all night, but it was a truck camper so we had to dump our own sewage the next day…. it was not pleasant, but at least we were not in a tent a mile from the john at an open campsite. There are several websites, including one from the Government of Canada that confirm this reaction. As I said, I love them, I continue to eat them, but I am now very careful how I cook them. Not overcooked, just till tender. My mistake was to microwave them in the camper for too short a time. I am not sure my son will ever even look at one again without turning as green as the fiddlehead.

By: Peggy Bouchard

Peggy Bouchard — Thu, 03 May 2012 21:30:06 +0000

I grew up in Maine eating fiddleheads every spring.They should not be cooked in olive oil.We boil or steam them until tender and eat them with butter and vinegar or garlic salt and butter with a dash of salt.Yummy and good for you!Overcooked they aren’t as good.

By: kristie

kristie — Mon, 16 May 2011 19:32:35 +0000

A large group of us went on a wildflower/bird walk over the weekend, and we all tried fiddleheads raw. Noone got sick, but we didn’t eat large quantities of them. I ate about 5 of them raw, and my sons each had a couple. We haven’t felt any adverse effects. Maybe some are more sensitive to them than others?

By: Tara

Tara — Thu, 12 May 2011 22:41:05 +0000

Fiddleheads are not actually a type of fern. All ferns have fiddleheads, as it is merely the young unfurled part of the fern. Thus some are poisonous as some ferns are poisonous. However many types are edible. Making sure you know how to identify the types that are edible is key. Ostrich ferns are edible and great tasting!

By: jessica

jessica — Sun, 08 May 2011 10:04:44 +0000

Rachael, hope you’re not sick and enjoying your weekend!!

By: Rachael

Rachael — Sat, 07 May 2011 01:18:14 +0000

Well, I just finished eating some woefully under cooked fiddle heads and ended up here because my throat feels funny. In the past I always cooked them longer and I was fine. I sure hope I don’t end up puking or worse. Wish me luck.

By: jessica

jessica — Sun, 30 May 2010 20:52:18 +0000

E Fleming, hope you’re feeling better!

By: E Fleming

E Fleming — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:37:33 +0000

P.P.S. Story in Anchorage Daily News at http://www.adn.com/2010/05/17/1281986/at-least-20-report-stomach-woes.html

By: E Fleming

E Fleming — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:20:10 +0000

P.S. The Anchorage Health department will release its report in a few weeks I would look at it when it comes out if I were any of y’all before I ate these and certainly before I decided to add them aa a menu item at my restaurant. If the 1994 reports of food poisoning by fiddlehead ferns aren’t enough to show they can be dangerous this report should.

By: E Fleming

E Fleming — Thu, 27 May 2010 19:13:19 +0000

Kara: I got sick myself as one of 20 people in Anchorage at a catered luncheon two weeks ago and it appears undercooked fiddlehead ferns are to blame. In Alaska we know what fiddlehead ferns are and we know what they look like we do not mix them up with other plants. I was sick as a dog my body expelled whatever poison was in there, violently, from both ends. I would not recommend eating these at all unless you are at your own home and able to go right to your own bathroom and get right in the shower with your clothes still on when the episode subsides. If this had happened to you, you wouldn’t eat them again either. I am not spreading any rumors or lies this happened to me.