05/05/2024
We may not be doing much this year BUT this is always a good reminder to know what you pick/eat.
It’s fiddlehead season! Be sure you know how to identify them, harvest them responsibly, and safely consume them.
Fiddlehead ferns are an early spring delicacy found all over the Northeast. Not all ferns are edible and some can be harmful if consume. The Ostrich fern fiddleheads are edible, and can be identified by the brown, papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern. Fiddleheads are approximately 1 inch in diameter, have a smooth fern stem (not fuzzy), and also a deep “U”-shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem.
Harvest the tender ostrich ferns as soon as they are an inch or two above the ground. Carefully brush off and remove the papery brown scales. Clean fiddleheads can be safely cooked using many different methods, boiling and steaming and sautéing. Fiddleheads can be boiled or steamed prior to use in other recipes that call for sauteing, stir-frying or baking.
After boiling or steaming, serve at once with optional toppings or seasonings, such as melted butter, vinegar, olive oil, salt or pepper. Cooked and rapidly chilled fiddleheads can be also served as a salad with an onion and vinegar dressing. Enjoy!
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