Cinnamon Fern (Osmunda cinnamomea)

Family: Osmundaceae | Edibility: Edible (2/5)

Form: Upright or erect.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Leaves

Harvest Seasons: Spring, Early Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

taste is said to resemble asparagus. — The young unexpanded fronds are eaten as a nibble or cooked in soups.; The taste is said to resemble asparagus.; The young shoots are seen as a 'spring tonic' to cleanse the body with fresh green food after a long winter eating mainly stored foods.; The latent buds can be eaten in early spring, they rival chestnuts in size and flavour.

Habitat & North American Range

Sandy or alluvial soils in swamps low woods and thickets in Eastern N. America. Moist areas, acidic soils, frequently in vernal seeps from sea level to 2300 metres. (Zone 4, Zone 5, Zone 6, Zone 7, Zone 8)