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Fiddleheads at the University District Farmer's Market<\/p><\/div>\n

Can I just say that the word \u201ctreat\u201d is subjective, and that maybe it was intended to reference the fact that Fiddleheads are not farmed, and can only be foraged, more than how good they are?\u00a0 For Euell Gibbons maybe.<\/p>\n

Appearing for the last two weeks at the University Farmers Market, Fiddlehead Ferns are visually scrumptious little furled up twirls of green. Coming from hard to get to forests, they must taste as good as they look, right?<\/p>\n

Well, not exactly. I have cooked them almost every year, but this time I decided to consult all the recipes I could find. Maybe I have just missed something. Most recipes suggested sauteeing quickly in olive oil and butter or just butter, along with garlic, shallot or leek. Big clues: butter softens flavors, especially slightly bitter ones, and onions, garlic and shallots add flavor. Another clue: every recipe cautioned not to over cook them to avoid bitterness. Several suggested adding lemon and salt. Oh, one more: avoid fronds that are not tightly curled and those with any brown showing. Bitterness again.<\/p>\n

So now I have butter, olive oil, shallot, lemon juice and salt. By this time I\u2019m thinking these cute little curlicues might not be quite the culinary treat I hope they will be. But I love almost all foods so I keep going.<\/p>\n

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Rinsed Fiddleheads<\/p><\/div>\n

Carefully rinse, clip off tips to 2\u201d, and drain. Heat oil, add minced shallot and the Fiddleheads along with butter, chopped parsley and a few bursts of fresh lemon juice. Couldn\u2019t resist picking out one to taste. No bitterness, but instant reminder of those big grass stems I sucked on my way to Sunday school.\u00a0 Add a little salt and slide onto the plate. Taste again. Flavor is OK, especially the shallot, olive oil and butter. Texture is interesting, not quite tough but definitely not tender.<\/p>\n

I finished my serving feeling relieved that if I ever am caught in the forest in the spring and happen to have matches, a pan, some extra virgin olive oil, a few pats of butter, some salt and a lemon, and if I can recognize a Matteuccia Struthiopteris fern, I will not only not starve, but I also surely will be motivated to find my way out.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"