EDIBLE STEMS AND LEAVES 



loosely invested with hairs, these are easily brushed 

 off. Then the cutting, which resembles an at- 

 tenuated asparagus stalk, is ready for the pot. 

 Divided into short lengths and cooked in salted, boil- 

 ing water until quite 

 tender — a process that 

 usually requires a half 

 to three quarters of an 

 hour — the fern may be 

 served like asparagus, 

 as a straight vegeta- 

 ble, or on toast with 

 drawn butter, or as a 

 salad with French 

 dressing. The cooked 

 fern has a taste quite 

 its own, with a sugges- 

 tion of almond. Its 

 food value, according 

 to some experiments 

 made a few years ago by the "Washington State Uni- 

 versity, is reckoned as about that of cabbage, and 

 rather more than either asparagus or tomatoes. 

 Furthermore, the rootstocks of this fern are edible, 

 according to Indian standards, and are doubtless of 

 some nutritive worth as they are starchy, but the 



115 



Bkacken Shoots 

 (Pteris aquiUna) 



