Fiddleheads - The Ferns You Can Eat!

Fiddleheads! What are they?? I too didn't know fiddleheads existed until I moved to rural Maine and saw them in our local supermarket. Curious, I purchased a package and Boy! Was I ever glad I did! I love asparagus and fiddleheads taste just like asparagus tips when lightly boiled in salted water, drained and tossed with butter! The trouble is fiddleheads are only available once a year in early spring when ferns are sprouting from a long winter's sleep.

That's right! Fiddleheads are the tips of the Ostrich Fern and are called fiddleheads because in their early stage they look like the rounded end of a fiddle. The photo above shows picked fiddleheads, washed and ready to cook.



Here is what the Ostrich Fern looks like sprouting from the ground. The rounded tops are the tasty "fiddleheads" and picked to eat as a delicacy. Because they are only available a few weeks a year the price is high. This year one of my supermarkets sold them for $5.99 a pound. But there are some good souls (god bless them) who sell them by the side of the road and their price is significantly less (thank goodness). This year, we got 3 pounds for ten dollars.



Fiddleheads are a Maine delicacy that appears early spring during April and May. When preparing for cooking carefully brush out and remove the brown scales. Wash and cook the heads in a small amount of lightly salted boiling water for 10 minutes (or a little less) or steam for 20 minutes (or less). Serve at once with melted butter. The quicker they are eaten, the more delicate their flavor. They may be served, like asparagus on toast. Cooked, chilled fiddleheads can also be served as a salad with an onion and vinegar dressing. I eat mine with steak, chicken, or pork chops. It's a wonderful tasting vegetable!


The Ostrich Fern fully grown......

Fiddleheads are a good source of vitamin A and C, niacin, magnesium, iron, potassium, zinc and phosphorus. So next time you walk through the woods and see ferns at your feet, I hope you remember the wonderful vegetable source you could have had on your table.

Bon Appetite!!!