Since the fiddleheads weren’t up yet when we checked on one of our favorite picking spots the weekend before last, it was clearly time for another visit to the spot this past weekend. We’d had a few days of good sun, and if our educated guesses were correct, the picking would be perfect. Almost every year Ben and I and the boys get together with my brother John, my sister-in-law Lisa, and their two children to go fiddleheading. We’ve done it for several years now, and it has become a family tradition that we really look forward to. The kids love it too, of course, as they get to play with some of their favorite cousins.
Last Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day, and we met up at the spot near John and Lisa’s house and hiked in together. Indeed, our estimations had been correct–the fiddleheads were ready! It wasn’t the best picking ever, but it was definitely good enough to keep us busy for a while…and we had time to relax and enjoy the warm sun a bit before heading back. The kids picked some, but mostly had a great time running around along the edges of the nearby woods. We also found a little pool of water that was home to several frogs, which kept all of us entertained for a while. It was a great morning–lots of sun, a nice hike, good picking, and great company. When we got home Ben cleaned the fiddleheads and cooked some of them up for dinner. Boiled, then sauteed in garlic and olive oil, they were just delicious. Fortunately we had extra, so Ben blanched and froze some also. (For directions on how to blanch and freeze fiddleheads, click here.) They freeze really well, and we try to get a bunch put up every season so that we can enjoy them later. What a treat it is to pull a bag out of the freezer and have a meal of springtime greens during the cold months of winter!
Looking for fiddleheads
Looking for frogs
Look closely and check out the jumping frog!
These ferns, by the way, are NOT fiddleheads (but Ian was checking them out anyway, just to be sure.)
Jon
July 28th, 2014 at 05:22