Permaculture Plants: Ostrich Fern

The Ostrich Fern is more than just an ornamental.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Matteuccia_struthiopteris.jpg

Common Name: Ostrich Fern

Other Names: Fiddlehead Fern
Scientific Name: Matteuccia struthiopteris or pensylvanica

Family: Dryopteridaceae (the "Wood Fern" family)

The edible shoots of the Ostrich Fern are named Fiddleheads.

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Description:

Ostrich Ferns are fairly well known ornamental plants throughout much of the U.S.; however, the small tightly wound shoots, known as fiddleheads, that pop up for a very short time each Spring are regional delicacies. These fiddleheads have a taste somewhere between a nutty asparagus and brocolli. They thrive in shade and moist soils where many other plants fail to grow at all, or if they do they fail to produce an edible crop. Its ability to act as a groundcover in the dark, wet corners of a property make it an excellent addition to Forest Garden.

Matteuccia struthiopteris

Illustration from Scandinavian Ferns by Benjamin Øllgaard and Kirsten Tind, Rhodos, 1993

http://hardyfernlibrary.com/ferns/tind%5Cmatteuccia.jpg

History:

Appears to be native to northern temperate climates in North America, Europe, and Asia. While there are a few small commercial producers of Ostrich Ferns, they are almost all for the production of ornamental plants... not food.

Sauteed fiddleheads ready to eat!

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Trivia:

• The scientific name Struthiopteris comes from the Latin (struthio = ostrich) and the Greek (pteris = wing).
• Shoots of the Ostrich Fern resemble the head of a fiddle... hence the name Fiddlehead Fern.
• This is a very popular seasonal delicacy in rural New England.
• Many other fern shoots are eaten, but they have varying levels of safety.

Fiddleheads are seasonal delicacies.

http://i-cdn.apartmenttherapy.com/uimages/kitchen/2008_04_07-Fiddleheads.jpg

USING THIS PLANT

Primary Uses:

• Cooked shoots (a.k.a "Fiddleheads") - steamed, sauteed, boiled
• Dipped in beer batter and fried!
• Pickled 
• Frozen
• Canned

Secondary Uses:

• Ornamental plant
• Shade plant
• Wet soil plant
• Pond edge plant
• Groundcover (plant Ostrich Ferns 2-4 feet apart for groundcover)
• Reports of roots being edible after being peeled and cooked
• Native food source for a few caterpillars of moths and butterflies

Yield: varies on the patch/colony size

Harvesting: Early Spring (it is a short harvest season). Pick when the fiddleheads are tight. They are still edible when taller than a few inches, but they quickly become more tough.

Storage: Up to about a week fresh in a cool place

Fiddleheads about to be pickled.

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBPIgSDI1Z380m6aY4aYcNv20srMKCUBbLaQRutIZwoc4I47HAh-p1ugTX3dX1wVEGnlf0-Ga2Rezqc5A2uJLsJbXbkNFvx2jSPu2gNGlUw6gJqhlxezRUpMjrIEbbLKmlePB33LKjr94/s1600/Fiddlehead+Ferns+close+up.jpg

DESIGNING WITH THIS PLANT

USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8

AHS Heat Zone: No reliable information available

Chill Requirement: Unlikely as there is no flowering or fruiting, but no good data

Plant Type: Large Perennial Herbaceous Plant

Leaf Type: Deciduous

Forest Garden Use: Herbaceous Layer, Groundcover Layer

Cultivars/Varieties: No improved varieties

Pollination: Spore producer

Flowering: None. Spore producer

Life Span: Functionally indefinite as this plant will keep spreading through rhizomes

Ostrich Ferns make an amazing, tall groundcover for shaded areas.

http://northwoodalliance.org/pilgrim_river/photos/Ostrich_fern_0027.jpg

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PLANT

Size: 2-6 feet (0.6-1.8 meters) tall and indefinitely wide forming large col

Roots: Running habit based on its rhizomatous roots (underground stems that send out roots and shoots)

Growth Rate: Medium to Fast

Ostrich Ferns can grow at the edges of ponds and streams.

http://www.thegardenerseden.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/Fiddleheads-Ostrich-Ferns-%C2%A9-2010-Michaela-at-TGE.jpg

GROWING CONDITIONS FOR THIS PLANT

Light: Part to Full Shade (can tolerate full sun if soil is constantly moist)

Shade: Tolerates Full Shade

Moisture: Medium to Very Wet

pH: strongly acidic to fairly neutral soil (3. - 7.0)

Special Considerations for Growing:

Ostrich Ferns can tolerate wet feet and so they can be planted at the edge of ponds in full sun to full shade. If they do not have consistently wet soil, they will not tolerate full sun.

Propagation: Division (easy). Spores (difficult).

Maintenance: None

Here's a recipe for fried fiddleheads.

This is a vegan recipe... personally, I would replace the tofu with chicken or fish.

http://veganmenu.blogspot.com/2011/06/fiddlehead-fern-tempura-braised-collard.html