fleeting opportunity to feast on a fern... It's here, fiddlehead season in Maine. Every where you look, cars are pulled off to the side of the road by the woods, a sure sign that their owners are actively participating in the time honored tradition of fiddlehead picking. We're fortunate enough to have plenty growing all around our yard. I shot the fiddlehead in the photo above yesterday afternoon. Just a few days ago, it was barely surfacing from the soil. That goes to show you how very short fiddlehead season is. By the way, a fiddlehead is really just a baby frond of the Ostrich Fern.
The prime time to harvest these little delicacies is when they are one- to two-inches above the ground and still very tightly curled. You'll need to make sure you carefully brush off all the brown paper on the ferns. Now here's the tricky part, since feasting on fiddleheads is essentially foraging in your woods, you must make sure to take the proper steps to prepare them for eating, otherwise they can make you ill. Always cook the fiddleheads via boiling them for at least 10 minutes. Then you can follow that up with a quick sauté with some olive oil and garlic.
For some great fiddlehead info and recipes, check out University of Maine's website.
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