Conscientious Fiddlehead Foraging

“Half, or less than half.” That’s our rule for the foraging conservation of Ostrich Fern Fiddleheads (Matteuccia struthiopteris). That refers to the number of furled leaves present on the fern crown. In this case, there are 4, so we can take two. The other two will go on to photosynthesize for the plant. Now, there are actually more than four, since the rest are still beneath the forest floor duff, but just to be safe and consistent we don’t count those. If there were 5, we’d still take two — because if there’s an uneven number we take “less than half."

Similarly, if there were already some broken off, either by other foraging humans or browsing animals, we wouldn’t harvest from that plant at all. In other words, if there were 4 present, but 3 broken stems, we’d move on to the next plant.

Unfortunately, due to a general ignorance of good foraging practices, and — often coupled with — the financial incentive of commercial harvests, we commonly see plants completely denuded of their leaves — as if a lawnmower had rolled over them. In fact, even though these plants have just started poking through the ground, we’ve already seen many plants fully stripped of their leaves by other foragers. It’s hard to see that because we’re thinking about harvesting from this plant colony in perpetuity (i.e. “forever”) not just the short-term gains that selling these plants by the pound can bring. 

Good foraging is about a lot more than just knowing and finding the plants you seek. It’s about being an ecological steward. As these species, foods, and practices become more popular — or even pragmatic — we need to apply all our faculties towards preserving and growing the incredible resources this Earth provides. More than resources, these are species, other living things, and they deserve our reverence, honor, and respect. 

Enjoy your foraging this year and the good stewarding of our resources!