Piff Poff

Hi,

i have a recipe that calls for fiddleheads - what are they and where do I get 'em ?

willmore

We can get them in our local grocery store in Victoria, but I would let your fingers do the walking first (if you know what I mean)!

Calgal

They are the coiled edible heads of the ostrich fern collected in the wild, and are seasonal in the spring. So you may have to shelve that for a while I'm afraid!

Steve_P

I don't think I've ever seen a canned version either.

You might and that is a big, big might, find some frozen fiddleheads but I'd say it's unlikely in Red Deer or anywhere else in western Canada for that matter.

Hear ya go some Facts on Fiddleheads.

Cheers
Steve

Tbag

Be very careful to wash them really really well if you use them as the can cause a nasty case of food poisoning if not..... as my brother found out last year!

koogar

fiddleheads........ yummy

Voyager970

MMMMMMMMMMMMM

Vanessa May, yummy yummy mummy !!!!!!!!

Piff Poff

Thanks all!

Hangman - thanks for the link, Koogar - TRUST YOU

Has anyone actually tried these - are they worth the effort next spring?

Bob

you can still get 'em out now, but yeah, bit out of season...they taste pretty nasty though, well an acquired taste I guess...and the pickled or canned stuff tastes even worse.

best thing to do with them apparently is blanche in hot water for a min or two and then drop into a hot pan with melted butter for a couple mins, served with more butter, salt and pepper...and then a bucket to vomit into...

AnyaT

I quite like fiddleheads, but I think there are more people who dislike than like them. Bob's cooking directions are pretty much correct, though I like to add a few drops of lemon juice to them as well. They have a somewhat bitter taste. It's worth trying them at least once, I'd say. Get the smaller ones that are still tightly curled - once they start to uncurl the bitter taste becomes more pronounced.

Piff Poff

Cheers all

Stu-pot

You wish she'd fiddle with your head

koogar

again

the mellors

whos doing the fiddling

cookie56

As you were told, fiiddleheads are the top of a fern which is picked in the spring. They grow in marshy or wet areas in the woods of New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario. I haven't seen any in Alberta.
They sell them in some stores back East but the only ones you might find in Alberta would be frozen ones from McCains. If there are any Newfy grocery stores in your area I would check with them to see if they have frozen ones.
Good luck