Lady Ferns
For this weeks iNaturalist post, I chose one of my favorite plants- Lady Ferns. Also known as Athyrium filix-femina, they are a naturally occurring common fern found throughout much of the United States in places such as Alabama, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington, and Alaska. It thrives in the shade, or partial shade, of the forest floor here in Juneau and is mostly deer proof if you have that kind of problem. Their stems and fiddleheads tend to have wood-like husks and their spores are released on the underside of their fronds. The traditional Haida name is "ts'aagwaal" and are typically harvested towards the beginning of spring when they are still considered fiddlehead, or not sprouted fully. People cook them like they would brussel sprouts or asparagus, pickle them in brine, and even use them as a pizza topping (Schofield). There is a restaurant up north in Talkeetna, Alaska called Mountain High Pizza Pie and seasonally they offer fiddleheads as an appetizer or pizza topping and I would highly recommend them! If you decide to go and harvest, you must be mindful because if one of the clusters is over harvested, it can cause the entire plant to die. Overall the far-reaching and beautifully sprawling plants have amazed me since I was a child. I have spent many summers harvesting them with my mom and friends to make pickled fiddleheads and every now and then I go through a phase where all I want to do is eat them. Someday I hope to get a fern tattoo to show my appreciation of the beautiful plant and they never fail to bring a smile to my face.
Citations-
Janice J. Schofield. Alaska’s Wild Plants, Revised Edition : A Guide to Alaska’s Edible and Healthful Harvest. Alaska Northwest Books, 2020. EBSCOhost, research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=0d60d39e-3da1-34cc-9d8a-4b9a94fb4768.
Patterson Webster. Autobiography of a Garden. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2022. EBSCOhost,
research.ebsco.com/linkprocessor/plink?id=b7d16117-89ad-3fc5
8554-33379db292ce.
Comentarios
Hi Ayanna!
I also am a very big fan of the Lady Fern. My neighbors use to put two massive tarps outside every summer and it would be covered in hundreds of fiddleheads. They would let us have some but we were never allowed to know where they picked them because it was a family secret. Do you have any good spots in Juneau to pick them? Or is it a family secret lol!
I also love that you made sure to put the Lingít name of the plant. As we know learning the language of the land that the plant is housed on allows for us to connect and create a sense of place in that area.
Hi;
I love this fern, too. Your connection to this plant stirs a sense of tenderness in me. This plant that is nothing but a wound-up fiddlehead grows into a majestic plant is exciting. The idea of a tattoo is quite the resolve. I was pleased to hear about how you harvest them in the Spring, although I have never heard of pickling them. I must look into that and see if I can make pickled fiddleheads.
I go out into the forest every Spring and collect, as you pointed out, carefully pick with the idea of the conservation and use of the plant. When I had family around me, I would pick lots more, and now I go out just once a year with one meal planned for myself only—my yearly treat. After cleaning them, I will fry them with garlic and butter until soft, and because I love sour cream, I will add a tablespoon and enjoy. The taste exudes springtime for me.
Thank you for bringing Spring to me at the beginning of Fall-
Gayleen
We only have them in one area up here in Nome, near our natural hot springs where the ground and climate is naturally warmer than the rest of our area. Because of that reason, I've always thought they were so beautiful and exotic. It sounds like they made quite the impression on you too. I've heard of fiddleheads but never knew that they came from ferns or even what they were. I've been to that pizza place, I'll have to try to go during harvesting season and try them! Maybe I'll do a bit more research and harvest some from our hot springs and try to cook them myself. Thank you for sharing. These plants are obviously meaningful to you and I really enjoyed reading about that.
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