Robins may be the famous harbinger of spring. But in my garden (aka the backyard) it's bright green fiddleheads pushing up through the leaves that announce the best season of all. Curled up like the scroll at the top of a violin, or fiddle, these ostrich fern shoots are not only a sign of good things to come, but the first feed of the year from my land.
The tightly furled fiddleheads at the perfect stage for picking. Simply snack the fiddleheads back and off.
Still coiled tight around the base of the plant and wrapped in what looks like caramel brown tissue paper fiddleheads are "ripe" for picking. It doesn't take more than a few days for the ferns to unfurl, turn into the tall ferns they are, and form the backdrop to a shady garden of hostas. Too late to eat!
A warm day and the tightly curled fiddleheads shoot up. You can still pick the shorter fiddleheads, and include an inch (2.5 cm) or so of the stem as well. A wise picker takes only 3 shoots per plant so that next year the plant will have another harvest ready for picking.
My plan is always to get them while I can. And while the haste could be ascribed to greedyness, a sin I have been known to embrace, the truth is that ostrich ferns, left unculled in a home garden, would soon muscle into the territory of other favourite plants. In the wild, they spread luxuriantly over the banks and flats along freshwater rivers and streams. So, at home I pick and cull as I go along, and cook up a feast as soon as the shoots emerge. Better to pluck them as 2-inch (5 cm) fiddleheads on a cool spring day than dig them out as 3-foot (3 m) ferns under a blazingJuly sun.
How to Get Your Hands on Some Fiddleheads:
If your garden isn't as lush with fiddleheads as mine, you do have options. Fiddleheads grow wild in the eastern part of Canada where they are harvested commercially. You can often find fiddleheads in farmers' markets starting around the end of April/early May until early -mid June, all depending on the weather, of course. In recent years, supermarkets across Canada have begun to stock fresh fiddleheads, often in bulk, but sometimes packaged, for example, by the family-owned Norcliff Farms as "Fiddlehead Greens". Out of season, look for frozen fiddleheads packed and processed by this Canadian company. For the first time ever, fiddleheads are being farmed commercially near Port Colborne in Southwestern Ontario. Norcliff Farms, the largest packer and distributor of fiddleheads in the world, is responsible for this innovative venture.
Prepping Fiddleheads:
First things first. Remove the papery coating from each fiddlehead. There are various ways of doing this - shaking the fiddleheads in a paper bag, or rubbing the coating off under cold running water. However, the most reliable way is to tackle the fiddleheads with a small paring knife. Then, rinse the fiddleheads thoroughly. If there is any evidence of grit, rinse again and agitate in a bowl of cold water. And just before cooking, trim off the stem.
Cooking Fiddleheads:
Fresh fiddleheads need to be cooked through. You can do this by plunging them into boiling water and, after covering and bringing them back to the boil, boil for about 3 minutes or until tender. Or steam for about 7 minutes. Drain, immerse in ice water just long enough to stop the cooking process. Drain, pat dry with towels and toss in a salad with asparagus, or stir into a risotto, top a goat cheese canape, or reheat briefly in butter or oil and serve, seasoned with salt, pepper and a squirt of lemon.
Fiddlehead Spaghetti Frittata
My motto with fiddleheads is keep it simple. You do want to taste them after all. So I pair them with gentle flavours and don't complicate the cooking.
8 oz (250 g) spaghetti, wholewheat if desired
1/3 cup (75 mL) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tbsp (45 mL) butter
2 tbsp (30 mL) finely chopped parsley
1 tbsp (15 mL) snipped chives
5 large eggs
1/2 tsp (2 mL) each salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup (250 mL) cooked fiddleheads (see above)
. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti until tender but firm, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain well; transfer to large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the cheese, 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter, parsley and chives. Toss well, letting the butter melt and the mixture cool briefly.
. Meanwhile, in separate bowl, whisk eggs with salt and pepper. Scrape over the spaghetti mixture and toss gently to coat spaghetti and keep strands separate.
. Heat remaining butter in large skillet over medium heat until melted and foaming. Rotate and tip skillet to coat side with butter. Pour in spaghetti mixture, spreading spaghetti evenly around the skillet. Nestle fiddleheads into the strands; sprinkle with remaining Pamesan cheese.
. Cook until bottom of frittata is golden brown and spaghetti mixture is firm from bottom almost to top, about 5 minutes. Slip the skillet under broiler and broil just until top is firm and nicely browned at edges.
. Cut into wedges to serve. Makes 4 servings.
Tip: Use leftover spaghetti or other long or short pasta.
