We went fiddlehead picking again mid last week, and finally they were up for real! We got to enjoy a couple of meals of this delicious springtime treat, and I froze the rest. Given that the season for fiddleheads is so short, I really like to preserve as many as I can to enjoy later in the year. Putting them up is easy–pickling is a traditional way to do it, and they freeze really well also. I was a bit short on time, and wanted to make sure to get them put up before they started to go downhill, so I opted for freezing this year. It’s easy and quick. Here’s how I do it:
How to Freeze Fiddleheads:
1.) Thoroughly rinse the fiddleheads in clean water. Trim the ends if necessary, and remove any loose pieces of brown, dry skin.
2.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Working with one small batch at a time, drop fiddleheads into boiling water. Return water to a boil and blanch fiddleheads for two minutes.
3.) Remove fiddleheads from boiling water and submerge them in ice water to cool them as quickly as possible. Rinse again with cold water and then drain them.
4.) Repeat blanching and cooling process with remaining fiddleheads.
5.) Loosely pack fiddleheads into freezer-safe containers. Label and date containers, then freeze.
CanningCraft » Family Fiddleheading
May 23rd, 2011 at 18:07