PRETTY!

I don't like the little fuzzy hairs though, so really only like them deep fried. But then they're not pretty, and not worth the price, so I forewent them this year....

>> I will not tell you that they taste very good, but ... fiddleheads are fantastically healthy.

The same can be said for cod liver oil.

From your pics you eat them sauteed, right? Or are they steamed and buttered? I have to agree that deep fried is good with a batter, but that may mean I like them overpowered by the cooking? Dunno.

Yep. Overpowered by the cooking, and with all the nutrition removed. :) The spirally part is still fun on the tongue...

Are you saying you did not think they tasted good? I've eaten them a number of times. The ones from my mom's farm were fantastic. There was a chef from a Minneapolis restaurant that came and collected them for 2-3 years before she sold the property.

So what did the ones you got taste like?

Have only seen them ONE time in local markets. Had never had them, but they weren't very expensive and I grabbed up a few handfuls. I just sauted in a little butter and nice olive oil with S&P and squeeze of lemon. Flavor and texture kinda made me think of asparagus??

Yes - I also think they taste like asparagus!

I've been keeping an eye (sometimes both) on these curlicued vegetables for quite some time. They show up every spring at only a handful of grocery stores here, so I've considered growing them myself.

At any rate, your delicious shots (especially the ones with the scallops) have piqued my interest once again.

Sol

Thanks everyone.

Yes, I mostly sautee them. But deep fry sounds interesting. I may try that.

Price varies. Whole Foods: $28 a lb. Farmers market: $12 a lb. Stop&Shop:$4.99 a lb.

They do taste a little like asparagus with a hint of artichoke.

dcarch

Okay, next year I'm coming to your house, DC, for the $5 fiddleheads that taste like artichoke tinged asparagus! Besides the furry tendrils, the ones I've had, sans batter, have been really bitter and overly green (chlorophylic?) tasting. Oh. Wait. I only eat matchstick asparagus for a reason. Maybe they do taste like the fat kind. Never mind...

We like them steamed in the microwave and served with a splash of balsamic vinegar. Yum!

Fiddleheads are often misunderstood. Just a few varieties of many ferns are actually good and tasty to eat. Just three really.
The ostrich being the best.
Easily identified by the stalk near the ground...they should have a clear
'V' shape that the ostrich variety has. Delish and delicate like the most tender fresh garden asparagus. Others can be a bit toxic, but cooking, i've read, does kill off the toxins...
but some can be bitter and not so nice tasting...
I have a boggy patch of ferns, about a 1/2 acre, that are not edible. Some that come across them in a nearby forest may pick and saute a similar variety but really not great for eating...
I do have a crop of ostrich i planted and now has spread a bit but not willing to sacrifice the beautiful leaves yet for eating...

Coastal NEngland has a great climate for edible fiddleheads and i had the best in a restaurant where i worked while in school in Providence. Just a couple weeks this time of year...

Like asparagus, they are best very fresh. Picked young...i do see them but are often a bit soggy looking, like asparagus when the top heads have mushy bits.

I've tried for years to get ostrich ferns to grow in my garden in SE PA, no luck. They used to grow in front of our house like weeds when I was a kid, in MI. I would imagine the window of picking them and eating them when they taste good would be short. I can imagine that if picked too late they would be bitter. I would like to try them but just haven't been able to find any, and I'm not paying for store bought ones!