信陽拳菜，又叫蕨菜、蕨兒菜、拳頭菜、龍須菜、龍頭菜、如意菜等，屬鳳尾蕨科多年生植物，多野生于陰濕淺山荒坡、半山坡及林下草地。拳菜新發枝芽，羽狀小葉苞尚未展開時呈半握拳頭狀，富含多種營養成份，常被人們采收以供食用。
       
    營養價值與用途
 
    據分析測定，每100g拳菜莖葉中含蛋白質1.6g、脂肪0．4g、碳水化合物10g、粗纖維1.3g、維生素C35mg、鈣24mg、磷29mg、鐵6.7mg、胡蘿卜素16．8mg。此外，還含有多種氨基酸、苷、膽堿、麥角固醇等營養物質。
       
    拳菜的營養成分豐富，用途也很廣。春季可當蔬菜采集其嫩葉、嫩芽鮮食，尤其與肉類搭配烹飪，口感、味道甚佳。也可采集嫩葉、嫩芽干制腌漬，還可加工成罐頭，可四季供應。隨著食用水平的提高，拳菜已漸成為各大宴席上的美味佳肴。

 

Xinyang Fiddlehead Fern

    Xinyang Fiddlehead Fern, with another name of Asparagus, belongs to pteridaceae and perennial plant, which always grows on shady and moist slopes on mountains and grasslands in forest. New-born buds of it are nutritious so that people always pick them to eat.
      
    Fiddlehead Fernis is not only nutritious, but is widely used. Its tender stems and leaves can be picked and cooked with other vegetable in spring; tender stems and leaves can also be pickled and made into can-food supplying for all seasons. With the advancement of life standards, fiddlehead fern has become a delicacy in feasts gradually.