The Fiddlers are Coming, the Fiddlers are Coming!
To be fair, the fiddlers (being fiddleheads) are not coming, rather they have arrived! I don’t know about you – but I love fiddlehead season! I stuff my face, incorporate them into every meal (well maybe not EVERY meal), eat WAY too many, get sick, decide I could never eat another fiddlehead AGAIN – and then a month or so after the season is over, long for the days when fiddleheads were plentiful. Now I know what you’re thinking…everything in moderation…well let me tell you something – the fiddlehead season is SHORT – and I mean SHORT (about three weeks) so I eat them while I can. You’re probably also thinking – silly girl – why doesn’t she just freeze them. Well.............. I have a teeny tiny freezer but it’s something to seriously consider in the future when I have a normal size fridge!
Okay, so now for the interesting stuff, besides being great Ontario produce – fiddleheads have “antioxidant activity, are a source of Omega 3 and Omega 6, and are high in iron and fibre.” (Wikipedia, Fiddlehead fern, 2011).
So – now that you have read about all of the great properties of fiddleheads, and now that you know how short the season is, I suggest you stop reading this blog and get out and grab some fiddleheads.
Need a fiddlehead recipe? Why not try….
FIDDLEHEADS IN PARMESAN BUTTER
No gooey cheese sauce on these delicate spring shoots! Just a sheer lacy cover-up.
4 cups (1 L) fiddleheads
2 Tbsp. (30 ml) butter
1 Tbsp. (15 ml) lemon juice
Pinch salt
3 Tbsp. (45 ml) freshly grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or old Gouda cheese
In covered steamer over boiling water, cook fiddleheads just until bright green and tender, about 4 to 6 minutes. Drain well. Meanwhile, in saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Still over heat, add fiddleheads with lemon juice and salt. Toss well. Sprinkle with cheese; toss to coat. Serve immediately in warmed bowl. Makes 4 servings.
Fiddleheads in Parmesan Butter recipe from the Toronto Sun. For this and other great recipes visit: http://www.torontosun.com/2011/05/10/spring-marks-the-start-of-fiddlehead-season
---Sharon S, Research Assistant
