mytrilife

The Devinci Fiddlehead

Sold my Devinci road bike today. *sniff* *sniff*. Tough to sell my first bike since I started cycling.. but I never rode it much, my P3 gets all my saddle time. So Carson.... you can longer try and coax me into doing crit and road racing, since I don't have a bike for it now! HA!

On another topic.... I ate a whole bunch of raw fiddleheads on Sunday. Tasty and crunchy, fiddleheads can only be had for a short period each year. However I got nasty sick that very night (and still feel a bit ill). Wondering if maybe it was food poisoning I found a few things with quick google search:

Fiddleheads are eaten raw or cooked. Raw fiddleheads contain the enzyme thiaminase which attacks vitamin B when ingested in sufficient quantities; therefore, caution is recommended.

Although no proven cause for this health hazard has yet been identified, HPB and CFIA believe that the most likely is an unidentified natural toxin present in the fiddleheads. Fortunately, this toxin is destroyed by heat. HPB and CFIA recommend that fresh fiddleheads be carefully washed in several changes of cold water. They should then be thoroughly cooked in boiling water for 15 minutes or steamed for 10 to 12 minutes until tender.

Food poisoning symptoms usually begin 30 minutes to 12 hours after eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads, and may include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and headaches. Illness generally lasts less than 24 hours. This can result in dehydration, particularly among the elderly and in infants. There have been no reported cases of food poisoning connected with eating fully cooked fiddleheads.

So there ya go.. enjoy your fiddleheads... but cook them well!

posted by Greg @ 5/24/2006