Beginnings of Spring

Mud Season seems to have ended early this year. The soil in the garden is ready for planting, and the forsythia is on the verge of blooming.

'Tis the season for being cheered by daffodils.

We've got some wild edibles springing up in our yard as well. The wonderful stinging nettle is pictured above. I will be harvesting some soon. I hope to make a nettle vinegar and a nettlekopita this year. Perhaps a nettle tincture, too.

Here's garlic mustard (an awful invasive, but edible) which will be making its way into my salad bowl soon.

Spring is a great time for wild edibles, especially while we're waiting for our gardens to grow. Be sure you identify the plants carefully. Refer to the information in several sources or find someone who is knowledgeable about wild edibles before you begin to incorporate wild plants into your diet.

Anyone else planning on harvesting some wild edibles this spring?

on fiddleheads

three years ago i moved to new england and became fascinated with fiddleheads. besides lettuce and mache, they are one of the earliest spring foods available here. we are lucky to have abundant fiddleheads on the property where we live. i hear that they cost $8.00 a pound at the local market. i find it so satisfying to be able to walk out my front door and harvest my supper, whether it's from the garden or from the woodlands.



fiddleheads are the new growth of the ostrich fern--small and unfurled is how you want to pick them. a quick word of caution before i continue: the ostrich fern fiddleheads are the only ones you should eat. luckily, they are pretty easy to identify. when we first began our foray into foraging, we asked a local to take us on a walk and show us which were the ostrich ferns. i recommend learning from someone who is familiar with edible plants just to play it safe.

the brown chaff you see on these fiddleheads is another indication that you have found the right type of fern. in the above photo, the three smallest fiddleheads are the perfect size of harvesting. just use a knife or scissors. also, please harvest sustainably. don't cut every fiddlehead--leave some so the plant will thrive. you'll want to harvest again next year, right?



next you need to clean the fiddleheads and remove the brown papery chaff. give them a quick rinse and then soak them in water for at least 15 minutes. carefully remove each fiddlehead, wiping off any brown chaff that may still be attached and rinse again.

now, it's time to boil them. boil for 5 minutes, drain the water (it will be brown--this is normal) and add fresh water. boil for another 5 minutes and then drain. so, remember cook thoroughly for TEN minutes--undercooked fiddleheads can make you sick. after the double boil, you can saute them with onions and garlic in a little olive oil and eat them as a side dish or use to top a salad. we like to make a vermont fiddlehead pie with seriously sharp cheddar and a dollop of whole grain mustard. what do fiddleheads taste like, you ask? i find that they remind me of asparagus and perhaps, too, artichokes. i hear they pair well with bacon and make excellent pickles.



my husband and i find that slices of this pie are best eaten outdoors on a beautiful spring day served with a glass of homemade rosy rhubarb soda (rose geranium and rhubarb simple syrup + seltzer).



here's to spring!