Foodie Friday: Fiddleheads, a springtime treat

Freshness found by buying local

Besides the singing birds and the extra vitamin D from the sunshine, my favourite part of spring is the increased variety of locally produced fruit and vegetables that start to pop up in the grocery stores and farmers markets. By this time of year, I am aching for variety and freshness that can often only be found by buying local. To my excitement, the outdoor farmers market season has started in my community with the Prince George Farmers’ Market expanding outdoors at its downtown location as of late April. I love spending my Saturday mornings grabbing a coffee to-go and browsing the market for delicious produce, meat, eggs, and bread – yum. When does your local market open for the season?

When I was at the market in Prince George last Saturday, I noticed vendors selling bags of fiddleheads. Have you come across these where you live? A friend of mine from Vancouver first introduced me to fiddleheads several years ago and I’ve never looked back. I promptly bought two bags on Saturday and ate them later that day for dinner.

So, what is a fiddlehead?

Fiddleheads are the tightly coiled fronds of a young fern. The safest and most delicious fiddleheads come from the ostrich fern. They grow in moist, shaded areas and are only available for a few weeks in the spring. To identify the ostrich fern fiddleheads, look for ones that are growing in a crown (or cluster) low to the ground, have a deep U-shaped groove on the inside of the stem, and brown, papery scales, which should be removed before eating. Check out this video for more information on identifying and harvesting fiddleheads safely.

What do I do with fiddleheads?

Eat them! Fiddleheads are delicious and taste a lot like asparagus. They are a good source of vitamins A and C as well as omega-3 fatty acids.

They need to be properly washed and cooked before consuming as raw fiddleheads can make you ill. To prepare fiddleheads, wash them well in several rounds of cold water and ensure the brown scales are removed (the ones I got from the market were already cleaned). Then, either boil for 15 minutes or steam for 10-12 minutes before sautéing them for an easy side dish.

Easy sautéed fiddleheads

Serves: 2-4

Ingredients:

• 454 g-1 lb fiddleheads
• 2-3 tbsp butter or extra-virgin olive oil
• 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare fiddleheads: Rinse several times with cold water and remove any brown scales that remain. Cover with plenty of water and boil for 15 minutes (or steam for 10-12 minutes).
2. Heat butter or olive oil in a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and stir.
3. Sautee fiddleheads for 4-5 minutes until heated through.
4. Season with salt and pepper.