I have Fiddleheads!!! (1 Viewer)

[Jay H]

(No, it not transmittable)

Came back from a local Shop Rite and believe it or not, they have Fiddleheads.. the top curled part of an ostrich fern. Otherwise known as a Fiddlehead, a particular delicacy of Maine and the northeast, can be picked in the wild on some secret riverbanks and marshy areas but commonly mistaken for other ferns.

Now to go find some good fiddlehead recipes. I guess I have to cook them and then freeze them or can I freeze them and then cook it.. I think if I do that, it will just be too mushy!

Jay

 

[Dave Poehlman]

Huh. Learn something every day.

BTW:

Grilled Roots with Fiddleheads and Greek Dressing

 

[Jay H]

Yes, it is kind of a NE delicacy, only blooms in the spring months like April to May after the snow melts in the valleys and riverbanks. Folks in maine, massachusetts, NH, VT have access and even places in upstate NY. Many folks will pick them in the wild to harvest and they can fetch a pretty penny when sold to restaurants and markets there so it is kind of a hidden stash so to speak.

Be careful when picking them because they can be mistaken for the wrong type which may cause some intestinal problems! And there have been some CDC cases where toxins have infected diners who may have eaten undercooked fiddleheads as they are typically blanched or sauteed lightly or microwaved. Not the fiddlehead itself being toxic, just by what's on it not being prepared properly. Some riverbanks and marshes aren't always the cleanest places...

Jay

 

[John Watson]

found in these parts too, and popular with the coneuseurs. ? Geez, I should write the correct spelling of that word somewhere.

 

[MikeH1]

I have an edible wild foods book from the 80's and it says that because of a higher incidence of stomach cancer in SE Asia to eat fiddleheads in moderation. There is no direct link (at the time) but always was enough to keep me away from them.

Besides, I prefered Plantain with some Nodding Onion

 

[Jay H]

There hasn't been any documentated case with toxins with fiddleheads if prepared properly. Much like any wild food, many toxins, bacteria can infect fiddleheads much like any other produce out there.
There is a CDC report here:

http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00032588.htm

About folks getting very sick from eating fiddleheads at a northern NY State restaurant but it wasn't traced to the fiddleheads themselves but to toxins on the fiddleheads and thence eaten.

The mention of heavy metals is probably due to where they typically grow and where it was harvested.

Jay

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Jay,

After meeting you in the TdF thread I did a search on your threads and had a flashback when I saw the title of this one!

I grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire along the Connetitcut river between NH and Vermont. I used to love eating fiddleheads while hiking during the spring!

[url=http://www.mooersrealty.com/fiddlehead.jpg] [/url]


Just be careful. This could turn into another Silica thread.

 

[Jay H]

Well, I hope you don't find anything really juicy about me. (beside the silica thing. Because frankly, if you don't have a Fetish for Silica, you have no purpose for being here in the AHL).

I have my first HTF stalker. Should I call the cops?

BTW, Fiddleheads have been frozen in my fridge for a rainy day. I'll wait for a bit and then make some Fiddlehead pasta primavera... Yummy.

Jay

 

[Dave Poehlman]

I wish I was as popular as Jay H.

 

[Nils Luehrmann]

Have you noticed the new search button in the row of icons listed for each post? It looks a little like this .

It is a fast way to see where a fellow member's interests lay, and yours is with out a doubt in the AHL!

But I suppose it could be used as a tool for stalkers.

 

[Jay H]

That's because unlike everybody else here, I just have a silica fetish. I found this place when I wanted to simply buy a nice audio system and since I bought a Parasound preamp and the place threw in the DD5.1 processor, I thought I'd buy a DVD player... Next thing you know, I've got this HT setup with the sub and surrounds.

As such, I don't have half the clue most of you have on the latest technology, software or hardware, but I do like my silica. Heck, I still have the first DVD player that I bought way back when, a cheap Panasonic A-120U.

However, unlike most people here on the HTF, I don't have upgraditis nor do I have a ton of DVDs or time to view them. I like to spend my time, much like you did, hiking, backpacking, in the Northeast and Alaska. Of course, I'm a bike nut and I also also a fledgeling mountaineer. I'm off to go backpacking in Wrangell St Elias in July and then returning to climb Mt Rainier and Mt Hood with some likeminded friends afterwards.

And I like fiddleheads, though I never heard of them prior to meeting a friend of mine in Maine last year.

Oh and Dave, If I was half as popular as Ted, I would no longer be obscure!

Jay