Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Fiddlehead Flavor

My sister has been patient with my post this month, I emailed her a few weeks ago letting her know my next post will be an update to my first fiddlehead post, Fiddle heads: New England's Okra. Well, between the holidays, snow, and kids with school I've only just gotten to preparing my post yesterday.


Really, I've put off tasting my canned fiddleheads! See, when I wrote my first post on this delicacy, I had not tasted them. I've always wanted to....*wink*..I think.

I've looked at my jar several times within the past month; it was a gift from one of our patrons. (People are so nice!) Having done research on these young ferns and knowing they are safe.....Do I dare try them? I had so much fun doing the first post on fiddle heads, I thought I'd keep true to my comment and taste them.

My husband, Jack of All Trades, was supposed to try them with me, bbbbut....he did not. I'm not sure of what that means, but it sounded good that he'd have to share in this experience. He's hunted for the little curled ostrich feathers before but has never tasted the pickled ones, as the "P" on the lid indicates.

Do ya think! I want you to read my first posting? Yep, it makes a nice reference to our grandmother who was a avid gardener.

Okay, I've ruled out tasting the stems, not too crazy about that with beans, I'm even less tempted with my fiddleheads.

Amazingly enough, I did not hold my breath. These are actually good, they have a sweet/tart taste that is so strong it reminds me of strawberry Kool-aid power hydrated with a small amount of lemon juice, surely it will make ya smile way back behind your jawline! But once the robust pickled flavor (I'm sure is the recipe) was experienced, these little fellas have a flavor of a peanut buttery hint. They would be delish with bread and butter. Not too bad......

Not everyday though! In the Garden

33 comments:

  1. Why not everyday? Don't you want that pucker power to start your day?? I bet the fiddleheads are really GOOD for you. I commented here first so as to NOT forget. Also I'm heading your way so as to NOT forget you too:) Have a great day shopping. Get you some flea market time in too.

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  2. I have always wanted to try them...I read they are similar to asparagusin taste and good fresh in a quiche! gail

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  3. Hooboy, Dawn, you are a braver woman than I! I was getting a little queasy just looking at the photo of the jar, then the plate was worse. I have eaten them sauteed in a salad at a very fancy restaurant, one bite was enough. I will admire them in the garden, not on the fork! HA
    Frances

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  4. Oh noooooo ! please don't eat BABY ferns you guys !!!!! LOL
    They are very popular in our eastern provinces .. but I grow a lot of ferns .. and I still think of them as my 'babies" to care for ? : )

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  5. Interesting post today Dawn. I agree with Frances, you are a brave woman to give them a try. They remind me alittle of greens or cooked spinach. I'll just have to take your word for the taste. ;)

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  6. I've heard of these but have never tried them. I didn't know you could can them. One teeny bite wouldn't hurt I suppose. Just a smidgen of a taste.
    Have a great day all.

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  7. Dawn, This was fascinating! I have never heard of eating fiddleheads before. I don't know if that's because we don't have them in the Midwest or because I never eat in gourmet restaurants:) I did read your earlier post to make sure you were talking about ferns!
    I'll try anything green once, but I think you might have to acquire a taste for these.

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  8. What Rose said. We Midwesterners aren't very adventurous about the stuff we eat. I like my ferns alive and growing someplace cool and shady;)
    Marnie

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  9. If I ever get lost in the woods, I'll live off of ferns. Until then... enjoy! :-)

    Cameron

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  10. I have never heard of eating fiddleheads! I don't think I would be brave enough to try them, at least not FIRST!

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  11. Way to go! my wife got be a jar of marula jelly once as a gift and it took me too long to try it. Keep being adventurous.

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  12. Oh boy, your Nana did love them but she never could get me to try them. I do think as with most things they probably taste a lot better fresh. From your description of them I might be tempted to try them as they sound pretty good. I do know that when they are ready for picking, people flock to the edge of the roads to grab them. If you see them in the store they are VERY pricey.

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  13. Hi guys,
    Tina, no, no I'll skip the pucker power in the morning and stick with the wake-up of coffee, and yes, they are good for you.
    Gail, I read your comment and yes! Quiche would be sooo good, I haven't had some in awhile, I'll have to keep that in mind.
    Hi Frances, Boy! I was thinking the same as you when I took them from the jar. So much hub bub about them up here though and they have always been a mystery to me.
    Gardenjoy4me, Your right, baby ferns are baby ferns. When I wrote the first post I encouraged every other fond to be picked, I definately do that rule with anything in nature, leave what you take.
    Perennialgardener, my hubby tells me w/o being pickled they taste like greens including dandilions.
    Hi Lola, probably not the best way to taste a new thing but I figured the same, just some....
    Rose, I think the same about aquiring a taste for them. I think the hunters may be into the hunt too, I wonder if there is any other hunting during those two weeks. Hummm...
    Roses and lilacs, me too, and these are one of the prettiest.
    Cameron, ditto! I'd eat these before a berry that's unknown to me.
    Lorilee, too funny! I'd hoped hubby could be there that way if he reacted poorly....I still could back out!
    Thank-you Wayne Stratz, what's marula jelly? Sounds interesting.
    Mom, You can try these and I do think you would like them. Our customer gave us bread&butter pickles too, OMGOSH! So good and gone! Quickly! We had one of the yellow beans for Christmas and they too were good.

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  14. Yikes! What a great Trekie! She has gone where no man er in this case few women have gone before. Bon Appetite....

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  15. Marula Jelly--- is from Africa and my wife bought it at a 10,000 Villages shop. do you have one close to you?

    http://www.tenthousandvillages.com/

    http://www.krugerpark.co.za/africa_marula.html

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  16. I've got to try some of those one day. I see them for sale when I travel to Seattle every year. I hope they will still be in season in March?

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  17. Troutbirder, you are too funny!
    Stacy, There is so much ado up here that I have always wondered how these tasted, I draw the line at insect or anything on Survivor!
    Wayne Stratz, No, we don't have a 10 thousand village store close by I wished we did, my son did a report on that venue last year and as soon as I saw the link, I knew I'd spend some money. Anyway, I went to the link for kruger park, how interesting esp. for a tree hugger like me.
    Matron, our hunting season for fiddleheads is about 4-6 weeks after the first show of spring and only last about 2 weeks, they are worth trying.

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  18. So brave - to taste the nasty looking fiddleheads. Reminds me of the way a glob of cooked spinach looked on my plate when I was a kid. I'm glad your dish tasted better than I recall Mom's murdered spinach tasted.

    If I can't have fresh veggies, I'll stick to the more traditional canned ones like good old green beans.

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  19. Weeping Sore, Guess I'm lucky my mother did not cook spinach (don't think she likes it) But my husband eats it, smells good but that's it!
    I'm with you give me the traditional canned over the store canned anyday.

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  20. Where is Skeeter? Missing that brimming over humor of hers.

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  21. Dawn, you are right. You were sucky with not getting spinach cause I DO NOT LIKE IT AT ALL. Cooked, that is cause I do like it in a salad raw. The only cooked green I like is milkweed but then I guess that is not really a green. It tastes like fresh peas. I guess I called it a green as I think of greens as being something wild but that is not always true either since spinach is not wild. I actually do not know if I like them as I don't even wanna try them. They look horrid!!

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  22. We eat spinach down here. Tastes great with lots of vinegar-works with everything yucky-even the Jimster eats it:)

    Not sure where Skeeter is today. I'm sure she'll get on when she can. Probably shopping...I got some glass gems too. I'll share it all with you in a bit. A BIG project. ttyl

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  23. Here I am (hand up waving) here I am... Just now getting on the computer today, well, tonight… I had an early call from the Saint to meet for lunch then off to run errands then we met back at home after work, then dropped off one auto then back to town to find a new kitchen light. This is the second time we have replaced this light and I am not happy about it. ARgggg, they dont make things like they use to... Was in the 70’s today so ice cream shop was calling our names for dinner. LOL…

    Now about fiddle heads. I have never tried such a thing nor heard of them being munched until Dawn first talked about them on the Posting of Grandmother eating them. That is just not a Southern thing I guess. lol. I would give them a try though, hey when in France; I ate Snails so a fern would not be so “out there” for me now would it... tee hee.... And stop knocking spinach! Put enough Cheese on it and you will love it. The first time I ate spinach was in a casserole on an airplane. Of course not American Air Lines as the plane might have been taken over after serving Spinach! Was a European flight and I thought, hey what the heck lets give it a try. And I have been eating spinach ever since. I think the trick to any food is how it is prepared. I like spinach on pizza and had some today! I also like it in salads being fresh and also will put some in veggie soup when homemaking it. All so good for you so I would probably like Fiddleheads too and will try them if I ever get a chance too. I have yet to find anyone that can make Brussel sprouts to my liking though....

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  24. Hi guys,
    You are so right about spinach Skeeter, it smells good to me but I'm not brave enough to try it, maybe now tho! And what about those lima beans, thought I didn't like those either but I tried 'em, now I eat them....'cept my kids think they taste like "dirt"

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  25. Whoa, Dawn --that picture kind of did me in, rofl. I felt like one of my kids --I don't think I could bring myself to try them --I mean they might be good but I'm not a huge fan of new foods:) heheheh We had a beautiful day here today --lots of outside time for the kiddos --I hope it stays like this but I'm sure it won't, haha. Hi everyone --one more day in the old year to go!!!

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  26. Hi Anonymous, long time! How is the queen with the 3 princes? My one little dolly is growing up too fast.
    I'm glad you all are having nice weather, we are due for another snowstorm tomorrow, I'm atesting to a every other day disturbance in the breeze. Happy New Year all.

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  27. I'm glad I don't have to smell those nasty things any more. lol! My ex husband was from Maine and his mother used to can them . I could never get past the smell.

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  28. Hi dot, did you like Maine?
    Now your in Georgia like Skeeter...wanna trade? LOL! That's my beginning state.

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  29. I think I'm just going to take your word they're good.....

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  30. Hi Dawn, that sure is ugly food, but not every thing can be beautiful!

    Happy New Year! / Tyra

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  31. Hi Dawn --all I can say is your one brave woman:0) hehehe My Girl Model is doing fine --I'm glad your little princess is doing well. They do have to grow although I know what you mean. I wish I could keep them cute and fun but they tend to grow and stretch on me each year, heheeh. Have a great New Year! I want to make sure the house is clean today --my mom always said to start out the new year with a clean house --I'll have to see if I can pull it off with my four fine young specimans at home with me, hahaha. My floor would love a little wood treatment --to help it shine so we shall see:) See you all soon!

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  32. Hi Kathleen, thank-you, maybe someday?
    Tyra, you are so right!
    Anonymous, You have a great New year too! And good luck with the floors! I should be doing that. Nah! Taking the tree down sounds better.

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