Fiddlehead Ferns

About

Spirals from the early annual growth of the fern plant, and are only available in the spring. They are slightly chewy with a taste similar to asparagus. They can be eaten raw in salads, sauteed, steamed, boiled and in soups. The fiddlehead fern is named for the similar scroll shape on the head of a violin or fiddle.

Be careful when eating raw fiddleheads, as many ferns contain toxic components (some carcinogenic effects and breakdown of vitamin B1 have been reported).

Information

Other names: Fiddleheads, pohole

Translations: Fiddlehead papardes, Fiddlehead Šertvūnai, Fiddlehead ferigi, Fiddlehead dương xỉ, Fiddlehead Paprocie, Fiddlehead Varens, Fiddlehead फर्न्स, Фидлхед Фернс, Fiddlehead Φτέρες, Fiddlehead السراخس, Fiddlehead 금작화, Fiddlehead Kapradiny, 蕨菜蕨类植物, Fiddlehead Falgueres, Fiddlehead praproti, Fiddlehead Paprade, Fiddlehead שרכים, Fiddlehead Ormbunkar, Фиддлехеад Фернс, フィドルヘッドシダ, Fiddlehead Fougères, Fiddlehead Bregner, Fiddlehead Helechos, Фідлхед Фернс, Fiddlehead Lomma, Fiddlehead папрат

Physical Description

When a fern first emerges from the ground, its uncoiled frond is called a fiddlehead. They are small, tightly wound spirals. As they begin to grow, the outer tip that is part of the plant shoot is coiled into a round form that becomes a leafy green part of the fern if allowed to mature fully.

Colors: Green

Tasting Notes

Food complements: Lemon, Hollandaise sauce, Meats

Wine complements: American pinot gris

Selecting and Buying

Seasonality: april, may, june, july

Choosing: When selecting, choose fiddleheads that have a nice jade-green coloring, fairly tightly coiled, a little larger than an inch in diameter, with a short tail of 1 to 2 inches in length. Fiddleheads harvested with long stemmed tails may be fibrous and chewy, so remove any excess length.

Buying: Fiddleheads are available in the market for only a few weeks in springtime, and are fairly expensive. Pickled and frozen fiddleheads, however, can be found in some shops year-round.

Procuring: Fiddleheads from bracken ferns resemble those from ostrich ferns, but are believed to be carcinogenic. Be very careful if you're gathering fiddleheads from the wild. Undercooked ostrich fern fiddleheads also have been linked to some cases of food poisoning.

Preparation and Use

When prepared, the fiddleheads can be served similar to asparagus or artichoke hearts. If served as a side dish, melted butter, fresh lemons, melted cheese, Hollandaise sauce, or similar ingredients can accompany the sprouts. Fiddleheads can also be used as an ingredient in a variety of foods such as soups, muffins, quiché, or mixed vegetable dishes. Fiddleheads may also be referred to as fiddlehead greens or ostrich ferns.

Cleaning: To prepare, wash the sprouts thoroughly to clean the fiddlehead and to remove the fuzzy brown scales or papery skin that may be present.

Conserving and Storing

Fresh fiddleheads should be kept refrigerated, wrapped in plastic for the best means of preserving the elastic and fresh qualities of the fern. They can be kept only a few days in the refrigerator before they begin to loose their flavor. To keep for longer periods of time, place the fiddleheads into boiling water, cook for a minute, and then drain off the hot water. Immerse the boiled fiddleheads in an ice water bath, drain the water away, package the sprouts in airtight plastic, and freeze immediately. Freezing will reduce the fresh flavorful qualities of this fern, but it is one way to keep the fern available for special occasions or meals.