Your donkey obviously knows a good food when she sees one! Fiddlesticks are very popular to pick at this stage and fry up. I personally haven't done it, but might try it one year! Love those fern curls, nice crisp shot!
looked up some info. on those young bracken fronds and there is question of toxicity to animals, even though some folks (korea...) eat them. something about causing stomach cancer?! hard to know really what info. is correct online these days...
There are a number of different kinds of fern growing here. There is only one variety that the donkeys will actually eat and they never eat more than a few mouthfuls during a walk. Ferns are awfully hard to tell apart, but I THINK they are choosing empire ferns, which are native to the area and safe as long as they don't eat too much. The donkeys are amazingly careful about which they will eat and never show any negative effects so I have decided to trust their judgment - at least for the few bites they manage on our walks. They usually choose other delicacies, such as rotted logs and lichen. They seem to have a good sense about what is safe to eat, but I am careful and watch them closely. If nothing else, I find their choices fascinating.
fiddleheads come from the ostrich fern and need to be harvested way before this stage, when they are sitll at ground level and tightly curled up and covered in a brown "paper" that you need to wipe off before preparing them to eat. Donkeys are such foodies! LOL!
Your donkey obviously knows a good food when she sees one! Fiddlesticks are very popular to pick at this stage and fry up. I personally haven't done it, but might try it one year!
ReplyDeleteLove those fern curls, nice crisp shot!
What is Emma eating?
ReplyDeleteThey are young ferns.
DeleteFiddleheads? Yum!
ReplyDeleteoh no! I was scrolling down all into it..the unfurling fists of green beauty
ReplyDeletethen!!!!!! you rascal....they must be tasty
haha!
ReplyDeleteI like 'after!!'
ReplyDeletelooked up some info. on those young bracken fronds and there is question of toxicity to animals, even though some folks (korea...) eat them. something about causing stomach cancer?! hard to know really what info. is correct online these days...
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of different kinds of fern growing here. There is only one variety that the donkeys will actually eat and they never eat more than a few mouthfuls during a walk. Ferns are awfully hard to tell apart, but I THINK they are choosing empire ferns, which are native to the area and safe as long as they don't eat too much. The donkeys are amazingly careful about which they will eat and never show any negative effects so I have decided to trust their judgment - at least for the few bites they manage on our walks. They usually choose other delicacies, such as rotted logs and lichen. They seem to have a good sense about what is safe to eat, but I am careful and watch them closely. If nothing else, I find their choices fascinating.
Deletefiddleheads come from the ostrich fern and need to be harvested way before this stage, when they are sitll at ground level and tightly curled up and covered in a brown "paper" that you need to wipe off before preparing them to eat. Donkeys are such foodies! LOL!
ReplyDelete