Edible Ferns, Nuts, and Grasses

Natural intelligence plays a role in life, when it comes to who survives and who doesn’t, in a world fraught calamities and woes.

You aren’t born knowing a lot of things, but if you are intelligent, you’ll grow up to deliberately seek some practical knowledge, along with the pursuit of learning all that “extra stuff” that won’t amount to much -- if you are caught unaware of what has already been provided for you, if only you knew where to look. Familiarity of edible plants falls into this category of practical knowledge.

In order to use edible plants intelligently in an emergency, you need to know what they look like, where they grow, and what parts are edible. Since there are thousands of edible plants found all over the world -- the best way to gain a little practical knowledge about them, is to ideally have someone point them out to you. If you are lucky enough to make the acquaintance of a local expert, always make a mental note of both the habitat, and the characteristics of the plants as they point them out to you.

Otherwise, it's a matter of mastering a few general facts and principles about recognizing plants as food sources, that will serve you well. First, look around your home environment (doesn't matter where you live), many species of plants found at home, are also found widespread around the world.

Plants that grow in the United States, also grow in the Philippines, Africa, India, South America, Canada, China, Europe, and even the Arctic. Although the plants may have different characteristics -- they will be similar in appearance.

Persimmons are an example, they grow here in America, but they also grow in the Middle East, the Philippines, and China. They may look and even taste different, but never-the-less -- they are still persimmons.

Berries, such as strawberries, raspberries, or blackberries are other examples -- they will look very similar whether found in the Pacific Island, Africa, Australia, Siberia, or even Alaska, or the Arctic.

• Diets of leaves alone is at best like only eating lettuce or spinach, you won't have a lot of energy
• If you are eating leaves, select young and tender ones, not old ones
• Boil them
• If bitter, change the water a few times
• Consider the fact that buds of edible plants are more nourishing
• Consider the fact that stems of some edible plants are best, as they provide starch, sugar, oils, and greens

It would shock many people to know that ferns are on the human menu, when it comes to edible plants. It sort of gives a whole new spin on eating green. The roots and young curled fronds of almost all ferns are edible, and generally it's taught that ferns are not poisonous.

There is some controversy, that is not backed up by scientific study, that eating any ferns is ill advised, due to concerns that they are carcinogenic.

However, the food value of eating fern roots and tender fronds is not great, but it will keep you alive. There are four important ferns, when it comes to an alternative food source, they are the:

• Pako Fern
• High Climbing Fern
• Swamp Fern
• Tree Fern

Other ferns of note are the Ostrich ferns and the Cinnamon fern.

The High Climbing fern is another favorite that many are familiar with outside of the United States. It's young tender shoots are often eaten cooked or raw by natives in the South Pacific and in India.

This fern grows in forested thickets, usually near or around brackish salt water inlets. It's a fresh water swamp loving high and fast growing fern prefers wet forests. It’s base is rooted to the ground, otherwise, it’s very much like a high climbing epiphyte. It is found throughout South Asia, Indonesia, Australia and Samoa.

In the Philippines, there's a fern called Pako, which furnishes edible young fronds that are regularly eaten either raw of cooked. You'll find these ferns in wet ground, along bars of natural gravel, and along the banks of streams.

You don’t have to wait for a food source disaster to taste pako ferns (also known as fiddlehead ferns). They can be bought commercially in produce markets. They make a great addition to ordinary salads. They are a rainy season delicacy in Indonesia and Asia.

It is recommended that you blanch them for a few seconds in boiling water, then immediately submerge them in ice water to keep them crisp and clean. Should they be somewhat fuzzy, simply apply a little friction in the form of rubbing them between your palms before blanching.

The common swamp fern on the menu of edible fern food sources, is very succulent when boiled and eaten as a vegetable. It is completely aquatic and it's pan-tropical. Another name for a swamp fern is a "water sprite" or "water lettuce."

It needs to be cleaned thoroughly was it is found either floating or attached to the soil in shallow dead waters, or brackish slow moving fresh water in the subtropical and tropical regions of Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Australia.

The Tree fern provides an opportunity for food source in its young leaves and terminal buds. These ferns are huge, they can be more twenty feet high and are found in wet jungle areas of the world.

Tree ferns generally have a single tall stem, although in rare instances the trunk can be branched or creeping. There are over six hundred different types of tree ferns and many of them can be identified by the fibrous massive roots at the base of the tree. They can be found both in tropical rain forests and in warmer woodlands.

The stems of the fern portion of the tree fern often show leaf scars. Really old tree ferns may exhibit masses of roots that reach to the ground for added support.

Nuts are the most life sustaining of all raw forest and treed foods, and can be found virtually anywhere in the world. If you can identify common American nut trees, you will be able to easily identify similar trees anywhere in the world.

The fruits of nut trees were the principle food in the winter diet of both the native indigenous people in the Americas, and the peasant in the remote regions of Siberia. They have never lost their popularity, and to put it mildly, people are nuts about many varieties of nuts.

Pine trees are a big source of popular nuts, some of the more known varieties are:

• Nepal nut pine (Himalayas)
• Emodi pine (Himalayas)
• Swiss Stone pine (Europe and Asia)
• Korean pine (China, Japan, Korea)
• Bunya Pine (Australia)

Furthermore, it is not important to know the difference between the various kinds of pines with edible seeds, regardless of where in the world you find them. Just simply shake or force the seeds out of the cones, and commence eating them. Nuts may be eaten raw like this, or may be boiled or roasted.

Of course, there are so many varieties of nut trees it would be impossible to discuss them all. However, here are some of the one's worth knowing about:

The Beech tree is a large forest tree that produces triangular shaped nuts. It can be identified by smooth bark, varying form light to dark gray and found in the North temperate zones. It's nuts are best eaten raw.

The Oak tree comes both in true tree form and in a shrub form. It's nuts are called acorns. The leaves of the oak are either evergreen or deciduous (falling), depending on the variety of oak. Edible oak species are found in:

• Java
• India
• China
• Mexico
• North America
• South America
• Africa
• Mediterranean areas

Oak acorns are best eaten raw, if of the sweet variety. However, some can be bitter and will require boiling in several changes of water. They can also be dried and roasted, ground into flour, soaked in water, baked, and roasted in cakes.

Ever popular walnuts are recognized pretty much all over the world. They are large trees with alternate compound leaves. The fleshy husks of nuts do not split into regular divisions when ripe.

By contrast, Hazelnut trees are small, even bushes in some varieties. The nuts are in clusters and covered by a leaf-like husk. They can be found in North America, the West Indies, Asia, Europe, the Philippines and East Indies.

The Butternut is sometimes referred to as a white walnut. It’s natural habitat is along streams and on hillsides. Generally, it grows where other hardwood trees grow. It doesn’t grow very tall, nor is it a long living hearty variety of nut tree. The nuts are very sweet and quite healthy.

Walnuts, butternuts, and hazelnuts can be consumed raw, baked, roasted, and boiled.

Certain nut tree varieties are restricted in distribution in range, even commonly known ones to the United States, such as the hickory and pecans. Some nut trees worth knowing are:

• Australian nut trees -- This nearly thirty feet tall hard shelled nut tree, has nuts that grow in bunches that are encased in husks like hickory nuts. Found in Australian jungles, they are generally eaten raw.
• Panama nut trees -- These immense forest trees with thick trunks of buttressed roots and huge crowns, has large hand-shaped leaves. The fruits are in five pods, that contain black, peanut shaped seeds, covered with annoying hairs. The trees are found in Central and South America, with other species in different parts of the Tropics. They can be eaten raw or roasted, after the hairs are scraped off.
• African walnut (Gabon) -- This is a desert nut, that closely resembles a walnut in looks. Found in parts of Africa, it is best eaten raw, boiled, or roasted.
• Pili nut -- These large forest trees have hard inner nuts that are triangular in their cross section, and pointed at each end. They are found in the Philippines and other Pacific islands. They are best eaten by roasting, but can be eaten raw.
• Brazil nut-- These important nuts grow in Brazil, the Guiana's, and Venezuela. The trees of the Brazil nut are sometimes one hundred and fifty feet tall and can measure in old growth areas, to four feet in diameter. The nuts are best eaten raw. Note: In some cancer treatment centers, Brazil nuts are part of the recommended dietary regimen for cancer patients.

When you think about it by far, humans eat more grasses than they realize. Oats, wheat, corn, and rice are all grasses in the truest sense.

The seeds of all grasses are edible. Grasses are distinguished easily by their hollow stems and joined stems. Wild rice is one example of grass staple foods that have been used by indigenous peoples around the world.

Other grasses are the many kinds of sorghums and millets found in the tropics. Take a look in the direction of Europe, Asia, North America, South America, and Australia -- and you'll find wild oats in each place. Even some types of bamboos are grasses, and they also produce edible seeds, along with the highly edible young shoots.

The grains of grasses are eaten raw, parched, pounded into flours, and roasted.

First A Warning! -- The information provided in the hub is for educational purposes only. Be sure you have properly identified a wild edible plant BEFORE you consume it.

Additionally, you can be allergic to some edible plants, just like you can be allergic to foods that others can consume safely. If you at all unsure, just eat a little at first.

Bottom line -- you are 100% responsible for proper plant identification, and thoroughly researching the plant you are considering eating.