For the Love of Fiddleheads

This week we have a few special treats in our boxes, signifying the change of seasons. The most exciting one to me is the fiddleheads!

The word for fiddlehead in the Wolastoqey (Maliseet) language is mahsus. This vegetable comes from the Ostrich Fern which is native to our region and grows wild on riverbanks and boggy areas. It is the furled frond of a fern that has just come out of the ground. Ours were foraged around Norton and Sussex, and I got to pick a good few of them myself!

This week I got to go to my first fiddlehead patch on a riverbank that was just magical. Life sprouting up everywhere I looked, ferns in different stages of unfurling and a mix of green hues that would make your heart sing. It was full of stinging nettles as well so we worked around that as we picked. Foraging, I realized, is like an easter egg hunt. Gifts wherever you look, if you look closely enough.

I had never eaten fiddleheads (or heard of edible ferns) until I moved to New Brunswick, and, in fact, until I started LifeDirt! Now they are a staple of every spring and a signal that we are moving quickly towards summer. Fiddleheads are a special treasure because of just how short their season is. After a few weeks, they're fully unfurled ferns (say that 10 times fast). 

I hope you have a chance to eat some fiddleheads this season, whether from our boxes or elsewhere. If you're interested, here are some recipes from around the world to spark some inspiration in the kitchen!

 

 

Happy eating!

-Miriam