Fiddleheads and more!

[KeystoVt]

yay for the heads up on ramps. I used to forage a lot of morels when I lived in NC and never had a problem with worms so I'm not sure what to do to eradicate them...they might be a little extra added wild food flavor... S

[cheereeo70]

For those in CT. . .

Stew Leonard's in Norwalk had them this past weekend.

Also, I saw them listed in the Stop & Shop flyer.

[miahoyhoy]

Morels are popping up here in Southern VT!!!!

Edited May 17, 2004 by miahoyhoy (log)

[Hiroyuki]

I wonder if the fiddleheads of ostrich fern are the only type of fern considered edible in the United States. (According to one site, this is true.) Japanese eat other types of fern such as fiddleheads of royal fern (zenmai in Japanese) and those of bracken fern (warabi in Japanese).

For more, click the following:

http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=19952&st=30

[dscott]

Had my first ever fiddleheads last night. I picked them up at Atkins Farm in Amherst, MA. Prepared as they suggested. Boil for 5 mins, drain, butter, lemon juice. Seriously yummy.

[Nyleve Baar]

Ramps are up, fiddleheads are taking their time. It's been quite cold here in so. Ontario so they're running late this year. They're usually up by Mothers Day (my traditional M. Day activity) but not sure it will happen this year - doesn't look promising. Anyway - advice on cooking. Fiddleheads really should be boiled in one (or pref.) two changes of water before sauteeing lightly in butter or adding to another dish. The water will turn black. The par boiling removes bitterness and any aforementioned unhealthy chemicals. It also removes any leftover bits of brown skin.I have a gorgeous photo of a strainer full of some fiddleheads (last year's) but I can't figure out how to post it. I am such a neanderthal.

[dscott]

How long should the 2 cumulative boilings be?

I boiled 1 time for 5 minutes (with dark water duly noted upon draining) and they had a great texture.

[Nyleve Baar]

If I'm going to be doing two boils, I'll usually just bring it to a full boil once, drain, throw into a second pot of boiling water and boil for 2 or 3 minutes. True - the texture is good if you don't overcook. Fiddleheads are just about the only vegetable I boil - everything else gets steamed. The boiling really helps remove the bitterness (it's almost like tannin or that funny feeling you get on your teeth when you eat spinach).

[ChefGEB]

When I was Chef up at The Jackson House Inn & Rstaurant last year (in Woodstock, VT), we would find tons of fiddleheads and ramps in the spring, and loads of matsutake/white pine mushrooms in the fall. They grow around an area known as the pogue right around Mt. Tom (if any of you are familiar). Just an FYI.

[elrap]

First morels appeared in Boston last week under an old apple tree, according to the Boston Mycological Club's listserve. One member has picked around 40 yellow morels. Haven't seen any personally yet, but I'll be looking this weekend under old/dead apples, elms and maybe cedar trees.

--L. Rap