The Foraged Fern: It’s Fiddlehead Time

AMANDA aolsen@antonmediagroup.com e Maliseet and the Mi’kmaq tribes of Eastern Canada and Maine were the rst people to harvest and eat the young shoots. is practice was then adopted by the Acadian colonials who were in contact with the Native peoples. In the Passamaquoddy and Maliseet languages, the word for ddlehead is “mahsus”; in Penobscot, they are “máhsosi.” e double-curve motif that Wabanaki people sometimes use to decorate artwork bears a strong resemblance to a ddlehead. According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, Fiddleheads are the only native Canadian plant to achieve commercial success as a vegetable.

If you explore the produce section of your local grocery store in mid-May to early June, you might encounter a strange seasonal vegetable. Intensely green, these spirals resemble the top of a violin; hence their colloquial name “fiddleheads.” This wild-harvested treat usually comes from Maine and Canada and is only available for a very short season.

What are fiddleheads?

There are many species of fern that have traditionally been called “fiddleheads.” This includes the bracken fern, which is carcinogenic. For people in the north and east of North America, “fiddleheads” are the unfurled fronds of the ostrich fern, and people have been eating them for centuries. They are traditionally harvested in Northeastern Canada and Northern New England by hand.

Where do fiddleheads come from?

These beautiful green curls begin poking through the wet soil near rivers, streams, and marshes in late April, and are harvested through late May depending on the weather. Fiddleheads can spread through spores, but they mostly reproduce through rhizomes, or spreading roots. A bunch, called a crown, will emerge from the soil and produce up to eight fronds. The bunches are small, tight, and covered in a brown, papery skin. Fiddleheads

Three ways to identify ostrich fern fiddleheads in the spring:

- There is a deep, ”U”-shaped groove on the inside of the smooth stem.

- There are thin, brown, paper-like scales covering the newly emerging fiddleheads. The scales fall off as the fiddlehead grows and elongates.

- The fertile, spore-bearing frond is distinctive in shape, and also has a groove on the inside of the stem. When present during harvest time, the previous year’s fertile frond will be dark brown in color. Not all ostrich fern crowns will have fertile fronds.

In contrast, bracken fern fiddleheads are fuzzy, lack the brown paper-like covering and do not have a U-shaped groove on the inside of the stem.

—From the University of Maine Cooperative Extention spread quickly and can cover acres under the right conditions.

How are fiddleheads prepared? Getting fiddleheads ready to eat is no small task. Once picked, they have to be carefully trimmed and cleaned in cold water to remove all the rusty “paper.” This can take several tries until the water rinses clear.

Then they must be blanched and frozen, or if you can’t wait, boiled and eaten with butter and salt. A cold salad of boiled fiddleheads and vinaigrette is also tasty. They are wonderful steamed and then sautéed with garlic. Just remember, whatever recipe you chose, your fiddleheads must be thoroughly cooked. Undercooked fiddleheads can lead to tummy trouble.

Fiddleheads are super good for you.

Fiddleheads are actually a superfood. They have twice the omega-3 fatty acids of blueberries, and are rich in vitamins A and C, iron, and phosphorus.

What do fiddleheads taste like?

These delicious ferns have a taste all their own, but it is sometimes described as a combination of green beans, asparagus, and spinach. To many people, it tastes like spring.

These wonderful ferns have been steadily gaining notoriety. There are now multiple festivals across the north that celebrate fiddleheads. While fiddleheads are a wild edible, if you are lucky, you might see a basket of them in your local grocery store. They are also available through mail order. The season is short, so be sure to snap them up if you see them.

Shrimp and Fiddlehead Medley

1 pound fresh fiddleheads

6 ounces linguine, uncooked

6 cups water

1 ¾ pounds Maine shrimp, fresh or frozen

1 teaspoon olive oil

2/3 cup onion, chopped

1/2 cup green pepper, diced

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon thyme

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon celery seed

2 tablespoons lemon juice

Clean and wash fiddleheads using the process above. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan, add shrimp, and cook 3-5 minutes, or until slightly opaque white in color (frozen shrimp may take longer). Drain well, and set aside. Cook fiddleheads in boiling water (enough water to cover all fiddleheads during cooking) for 15 minutes. Drain. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed, without salt or oil. Drain well, set aside, and keep warm.

Add olive oil to a large, nonstick skillet and heat on medium-high. Add onion and green pepper and sauté until crisp-tender. Stir in fiddleheads. Add sliced mushrooms, thyme, pepper, salt, and celery seeds to the vegetable mixture; stir well. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms are tender, stirring often. Stir in shrimp and lemon juice; cook until heated through, stirring often.

Place pasta on a large platter. Spoon shrimp and fiddlehead mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.

—From the University of Maine Cooperative Extention