at my wits end

[wareagle69]

two questions, no pics but lets give it a shot a celery like plant on my property hollow stem fiberous can't find in any of my books and i think i own all the books any suggestions also fiddleheads i have tons of the on my property but one guy says to me he thinks they are the bad kind now i never take one mans word for anything unless he has proven himself to me so just throwing this out also looking for feedback

[Sourdough]

Wareagle69, It is Cow Parsnip...... Also called Wild Celery, or Indian Celery.

Heracleum lanatum is it's official name.

I'll bet you don't have "ALASKA'S WILD PLANTS" by, J.J. SCHOFIELD.....?

Do "NOT" burn the dried stalks. Bad news.

Being near or touching the stalks or flowers on sunny days can be a horrible experience.

[wareagle69]

looking that up now, no reason for me to have the alska one, looks close in petersons guide has not flowered yet, althought it does not have a rank smell, i know it is not hemlock as the book warns cuz it also grows in drier area plus i ate some earlier but did cross my mind about hemlock as i was tasting it..

[Sourdough]

looking that up now, no reason for me to have the alska one, looks close in petersons guide has not flowered yet, althought it does not have a rank smell, i know it is not hemlock as the book warns cuz it also grows in drier area plus i ate some earlier but did cross my mind about hemlock as i was tasting it..


Dig up the root, that is the most edible part.

[wareagle69]

yup did that earlier just to help with the id just did a cross reference in bradfords book at you hit it on the head not sure how i missed it, it is sooooo obvious once you have the answer.. thanks dude what about fiddleheads

[CoM]

Could it be wild thistle? Thistle is edible and even has a mild celery taste.

[wareagle69]

nope i'm sure hopeak is right(damn that hurt to say) it is celery

[Sourdough]

We only have one type fiddlehead fern. We (I) only eat them this time of year when they are still curled, I just nip them off, clean them, dip in batter and fry in bacon grease. YUM-YUM....:)

[wareagle69]

are you saying the root of the hemlock is the best part hippocrates

[Rick]

WE - There are no poisonous ferns but some taste pretty yucky. Your friend might be thinking of Water Hemlock or Poison Hemlock. Either way can easily be mistaken for a fiddlehead as they first emerge. Check your Peterson Guide for Brackens and/or Ostrich Ferns.

[wareagle69]

yeah i hate when people say stuff about edibles when they don't know what they are talking about, but it is enough to plant the tiniest bit of doubt in your mind, which forces me then to research more, but in watching the rest of the plants grow i am positve these are ferns, so i guess i'll grab some this weekend along with the celery, should go good with fire pit chicken.

[Rick]

A word of caution. If they are Brackens, there has been some studies come out of Japan that links Brackens to stomach cancer so I stay away from them. Even if they don't, the only thing I've given up is Brackens. If they do, I might be trading my life for Brackens, which is not a fair trade in my book.

[wareagle69]

If it is a water or poison hemlock, I wouldn't be eating any part of it until I could positively identify it.

tow ways to tell one water hemlock is not very prevalent here 2nd best way is looking at the roots WH has tubers where wild celery does not and i guess thirdly and most importantly i am sitting here typing which means i ain't dead which means it ain't hemlock

[wareagle69]

ah sorry your honor my eyes ain't as good as they used to be, promise it won't happen again sir, care for a mushroom?

[Rick]

Wareagle, I've starred at that title for two days. "I ain't gonna do it," I kept tellin' myself. Nope. Ain't gonna touch it. But you know me. I'm a junky, can't help myself. Straight lines just do something to me inside. I'm helpless, I tell ya.....

"Short trip?"

[wareagle69]

i wondered when you was gonna bite there twinkie, i knew it couldn't last too long

[Rick]

We -;);):D