I’m not sure if he wants to eat them or throw them!

It is fiddlehead season in New England! Fiddleheads are the furled fronds of young ferns (say that 10 times fast!). If you don’t pick them early in their growth cycle, they grow into beautiful ferns. But if you get them before they unravel, you will have delectable vegetable to serve fresh at the start of spring!

Fiddleheads grow wild in wet areas of Northeastern North America. Foraging for fiddlehead is relatively easy. Once you find a patch, you will easily fill up bag fulls. But don’t eat them raw… they are toxic until thoroughly cooked.

To me, fiddleheads are a cross between asparagus, spinach, artichoke and maybe even a hint of mushroom. They are both grassy and nutty. Suffice it to say, there is a lot going on with the fiddlehead in terms of flavor and they are delicious! Get them before the season passes because soon the morels will be popping up and we’ll have to move on.

Below is a simple recipe for cooking fiddleheads.  Happy Spring!

Ingredients

1 Tbsp. salt, plus more to taste
1 lb. fiddlehead ferns
2 tsp. grapeseed or vegetable oil
1 – 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or 1 small shallot, sliced
1/8 – 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (optional)

Method

Trim and rinse fiddleheads, removing any brown ends or mushy parts.

In a large pot bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Add salt and fiddleheads. Cook 1 minute. Drain and rinse with cold water.

In a large frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add fiddleheads. Cook, stirring, until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red pepper flakes, if you like, and cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant and just starting to color, about 1 minute. Salt to taste. Serve immediately.

My niece foraging for dinner.