Ah, the Fiddlehead. Perhaps the most popular of all foraged foods, and also probably one of the oldest. Fiddleheads are so common placed now that no one would be surprised to see them on the menu at any restaurant or for sale at a supermarket. They are very nutritious, like most foraged foods, and taste great with a very palatable texture.
what is a fiddlehead?
A fiddlehead is the young, unfurled leaf of a fern plant. In Vermont they are found in spring, before the young plants can unroll their shoots to become a fern. Therefore fiddleheads usually have a pretty short season, as once the plant matures enough to unfurl its frond, the chance to gather the fiddleheads is over.
Because a fiddlehead is just the young portion of a fern plant, and there are many, many types of ferns in the world, so too are there many types of fiddleheads. Even in Stowe, Vermont there are at least a dozen of different types of ferns all unrolling themselves come May.
However, when it comes to foraging fiddleheads in Vermont, not all ferns are created equal. Some are just not as palatable as others, while there are also some that are toxic and even carcinogenic. So please make sure you know what type of fiddlehead to pick before you go out harvesting!
identifying the fiddlheads you want to eat – the ostrich fern
In Vermont there is one main type of fern that is eaten – the Ostrich Fern Matteucia struthiopterus. The ostrich fern can be identified by its smooth, hairless, green stalk. Where as other ferns often have hairy stems, or a white furry coating, the Ostrich fern is just green and smooth. The fiddlehead may have some brownish, papery scales on it where it is unfurling, which is normal.
The other major identifying characteristic of the ostrich fern is the pronounced groove that runs up the stalk of the plant frond. Starting at the base of the plant, the groove runs all the way up the inside of the stem to the unfurling frond. The Ostrich fern grows in a rosette with 5-7 of these fronds growing out of the central base point.
Be sure to practice sustainable harvesting when foraging for fiddleheads, as even though they seem to be in abundance, they are native to Vermont, and in danger of being over harvested in some areas.
To harvest fiddleheads sustainably all you have to do is leave half of the fiddleheads on each rosette plant you plan on taking from. If you take all the fiddleheads, the plant will stop growing, and eventually die.
how to prepare and eat fiddlheads
Fiddleheads are thought by some people to need cooking, and others think it is fine to eat them raw. I have eaten a raw fiddlehead or two while on the trail, and never had a problem. But if you plan on eating a bunch of freshly foraged fiddleheads, I would suggest a quick boil or around 5 -10 minutes if you want to ere on the safe side.
Before boiling the fiddleheads need to be washed and have the brown papery scales taken off. I find the best way to do this is put the fiddleheads in a bowl of cold water and lightly scrub with my fingers, while peeling off the scales. The scales will float to the surface eventually and you will be able to rid the bowl of them. Next, dump out the water and do this again, until there are no more scales left.
Now you are ready to cook! At this point there is just about no wrong way to eat the fiddleheads. Fry them up in butter and garlic with a splash of white wine and lemon, or give them a quick steam and eat em fresh in a pasta or salad, or a pasta salad! Enjoy.
