The image, above, shows the full Ostrich fern plant(Matteuccia struthiopteris), bottom right, with a
close-up of the core of the plant, top right. Also shown are the
just emerging shoots of the plant (the fiddleheads), top left,
along with slightly more mature but still unfurled shoots, bottom
left..
| Common Name: Ostrich fern |
| Scientific Name: Matteuccia struthiopteris |
| Other Names: Shuttlecock Fern |
| Family: Polypodiaceae |
| Range: Northern Temperate zone. Occasionally naturalized in Britain. |
Physical Characteristics
Matteuccia struthiopteris is a hardy fern, growing to 1m (3 ft 3 in) by 50cm (1 ft 8 in) in size. It is hardy to zone 3 and is not frost tender. The plant is in leaf from early spring and its spores ripen from June to August.
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| Edible Parts: Leaf Shoots, Roots |
 Edibility Rating: 2 
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 Known Hazards: Although we have found no reports of toxicity for this species, a number of ferns contain carcinogens so some caution is advisable. Many ferns also contain thiaminase, an enzyme that robs the body of its vitamin B complex. In small quantities this enzyme will do no harm to people eating an adequate diet that is rich in vitamin B, though large quantities can cause severe health problems. The enzyme is destroyed by heat or thorough drying, so cooking the plant will remove the thiaminase.
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Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Ostrich Fern along with all the Ostrich Fern containing recipes presented on this site, with 0 recipes in total.
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Ostrich Fern as a major wild food ingredient.
Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris (also known as Shuttlecock Fern; syns Onoclea germanica, Pterinodes struthiopteris, Struthiopteris germanica) a fern of the Polypodiaceae (polypody) family. It native extends across the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (most particularly in eastern and northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America) and though not native in Britain it has been naturalized in several sites and is available as an architectural garden plant. This fern typically grows in sites of dappled shade where there is plenty of overhead cover and prefers sites near running water. It is a striking plant that develops from a completely vertical crown, favouring riverbanks and sandbars, but sends out lateral stolons to form new crowns. It thus can form dense colonies resistant to destruction by floodwaters. The fronds are dimorphic, with the deciduous green sterile fronds being almost vertical extending between 1m and 1.7m tall, with the base typically being about 30cm in diameter. The fronds are typically long-tapering to the base but short-tapering to the tip, so that they resemble ostrich plumes (hence the common name). The fertile fronds are shorter, 40-60 cm long, brown when ripe, with highly modified and constricted leaf tissue curled over the sporangia; they develop in autumn, persist erect over the winter and release the spores in early spring.
The tightly wound immature fronds, called fiddleheads, are also used as a cooked vegetable, and are considered a delicacy mainly in rural areas of northeastern North America. Indeed, it is typically the shoots of Matteuccia struthiopteris that are found in commercial fiddlehead packages (whether tinned or frozen). The rootstock when peeled and roasted is also sometimes eaten. Although there are not reports of toxicity for ostrich fern shoots and roots, care should still be taken in the consumption of this plant, as many ferns contain high quantities of carcinogens as well as thiaminase (an enzyme that metabolizes thiamine [vitamin B] and can make the body deficient). Thiaminase is broken down by thorough cooking and many of the carcinogens are leached out through prolonged soaking. However, it is commonly eaten in the USA and Canada and is considered a delicacy in Japan. If not consumed too frequently it is currently considered safe to eat.
the roots are also edible. Being rich in starch they can be peeled and roasted to be eaten as a root vegetable.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.
These recipes, all contain Ostrich Fern as a major wild food ingredient.
Ostrich fern, Matteuccia struthiopteris (also known as Shuttlecock Fern; syns Onoclea germanica, Pterinodes struthiopteris, Struthiopteris germanica) a fern of the Polypodiaceae (polypody) family. It native extends across the temperate zones of the northern hemisphere (most particularly in eastern and northern Europe, northern Asia and northern North America) and though not native in Britain it has been naturalized in several sites and is available as an architectural garden plant. This fern typically grows in sites of dappled shade where there is plenty of overhead cover and prefers sites near running water. It is a striking plant that develops from a completely vertical crown, favouring riverbanks and sandbars, but sends out lateral stolons to form new crowns. It thus can form dense colonies resistant to destruction by floodwaters. The fronds are dimorphic, with the deciduous green sterile fronds being almost vertical extending between 1m and 1.7m tall, with the base typically being about 30cm in diameter. The fronds are typically long-tapering to the base but short-tapering to the tip, so that they resemble ostrich plumes (hence the common name). The fertile fronds are shorter, 40-60 cm long, brown when ripe, with highly modified and constricted leaf tissue curled over the sporangia; they develop in autumn, persist erect over the winter and release the spores in early spring.
The tightly wound immature fronds, called fiddleheads, are also used as a cooked vegetable, and are considered a delicacy mainly in rural areas of northeastern North America. Indeed, it is typically the shoots of Matteuccia struthiopteris that are found in commercial fiddlehead packages (whether tinned or frozen). The rootstock when peeled and roasted is also sometimes eaten. Although there are not reports of toxicity for ostrich fern shoots and roots, care should still be taken in the consumption of this plant, as many ferns contain high quantities of carcinogens as well as thiaminase (an enzyme that metabolizes thiamine [vitamin B] and can make the body deficient). Thiaminase is broken down by thorough cooking and many of the carcinogens are leached out through prolonged soaking. However, it is commonly eaten in the USA and Canada and is considered a delicacy in Japan. If not consumed too frequently it is currently considered safe to eat.
the roots are also edible. Being rich in starch they can be peeled and roasted to be eaten as a root vegetable.
References:
[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants
The alphabetical list of all Ostrich Fern recipes on this site follows, (limited to 100 recipes per page). There are 0 recipes in total:
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Page 1 of 1