Food Recipes Series Issue 01 www.lillianlake.com When I was a little girl, I was fortunate to Table of Contents grow up surrounded Page 3 Facts On Fiddleheads by 48 acres of trees. Among the trees Page 4 Preparing Fiddleheads were trails where a Page 5 Cooking Fiddleheads little girl growing into adulthood could find Page 5 Freezing Fiddleheads solace. The branches offered canopies which provided seclusion Page 6 Roasted Fiddlehead Ferns with for time to think. All around on the forest Meyer Lemons and Capers floor grew all kinds of opportunities for Page 7 Fiddlehead Dijon foraging. One of those opportunities was for harvesting fiddleheads. My first time Page 8 Maine Shrimp & Fiddlehead Medley picking was not a successful adventure. I Page 9 Pan-Roasted Salmon with Morel had heard adults speak of them and how Mushrooms, Fiddleheads, & English Peas delicious they were so one day I thought I would surprise my mother and harvest Page 10 Stevia Sugar-Free Fiddlehead Pickles a large bowl of these delectable goodies. Page 11 Bread & Butter Fiddlehead Pickles Alas, the ones I harvested were imposters! Page 12 Plain & Pickled Fiddlehead Pickles I had harvested ferns which were encased in brown fuzz, rather than the fiddle-esque Page 13 Pioneer Sour Fiddlehead Pickles ones with brown papery coats. Page 14 Maple Mustard Fiddlehead Pickles I was so disappointed and sad. My mother Page 14 Sweet Pickled Fiddleheads took me for a short walk and taught me what to look for and where to find them most plentifully. She cautioned not to pick an area clean, but to take what was needed and leave the rest. Wise words for life through my mother’s eyes. To aid you in your foraging, you will find information from the University of Maine Extension office that covers how to identify, harvest, and prepare these beauties. Enjoy! Lillian www.lillianlake.com © 2018 Copyright LillianLake.com. All rights reserved. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 2 Facts About Fiddleheads By Food Safety Specialist Jason Bolton, Ph.D., Food Science Professor Alfred Bushway Ph.D., and Extension Professional David Fuller. Originally developed by Extension Professor Mahmoud El-Begearmi. Fiddleheads, an early spring delicacy throughout their range, are the young coiled fronds of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris). Nearly all ferns have fiddleheads, but those of the ostrich fern are unlike any other. Ostrich fern fiddleheads, which are about an inch in diameter, can be identified by the brown papery scale-like covering on the uncoiled fern, as well as the smooth fern stem, and the deep ”U”- shaped groove on the inside of the fern stem. Look for ostrich ferns emerging in clusters of about three to twelve fiddleheads each on the banks of rivers, streams, and brooks in late April, May, and early June. Make sure that you have landowner permission before harvesting fiddleheads. For information about UMaine Extension programs and resources, visit extension.umaine.edu. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 3 Preparing Fiddleheads Potential Foodborne Illness The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Health Canada both have investigated a number of outbreaks of foodborne illness associated with the consumption of raw or lightly cooked fiddleheads. Symptoms of this foodborne illness are diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and headaches. These symptoms generally occur within 30 minutes to 12 hours after eating raw or undercooked fiddleheads and typically lasts less than 24 hours, If you experience symptoms after eating fiddleheads, see your health care professional. Under no conditions should fiddleheads be consumed raw. Harvesting Fiddleheads Harvest the tender little rolls of ostrich fern as soon as they are an inch or two above the ground. Carefully remove the papery brown scales. Before harvesting in the wild make sure that you can properly differentiate the ostrich fern fiddleheads from other fern fiddleheads. Not all ferns are edible; in fact bracken ferns are carcinogenic and should not be consumed. Cleaning Fiddleheads Fiddleheads can be cleaned by first placing them in a colander and thoroughly rinse/spray them off with clean cold potable water. Placing the rinsed fiddlehead in a bowl full of clean cool potable water should follow rinsing to remove the remainder of the brown papery coverings, and repeat as needed. They should be clean at this point. Short-term storage Remember to keep fiddleheads refrigerated until you are ready to cook or preserve them. They can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. © 2018 Copyright LillianLake.com. All rights reserved. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 4 Cooking Fiddleheads Fiddleheads can be safely cooked using two different methods, boiling and steaming. Boiling Fiddleheads Bring lightly salted water in a pot to a rolling boil and add washed fiddleheads. The water should fully cover fiddleheads when added. Bring the water back to a steady boil and hold for 15 minutes. Steaming Fiddleheads Bring a small amount of water to a boil preferably in How NOT To steam apparatus. Add washed clean fiddleheads and steam for 10-12 minutes. Cook Fiddleheads Sautéing, stir-frying or Serve at once with optional melted butter and/or microwaving ostrich fern vinegar. The sooner they are eaten, the more delicate fiddleheads are NOT their flavor. recommended methods for cooking fiddleheads. Freezing Fiddleheads Due to the short season for fiddleheads, freezing is the most common and safest way to preserve fiddleheads. To freeze, follow these steps: 1. Clean them based on the steps outlined above 2. Blanch a small amount of fiddleheads at a time for two minutes in 4-6 cups of water. As a reminder the blanch time starts when the water comes to a rolling boil after adding the produce. 3. Cool in a ice bath immediately after blanching (half ice water mixture) 4. Dry thoroughly and place into moisture and vapor proof containers such as resealable plastic bags. Do not over fill bags. 5. Place container in freezer. 6. To use frozen fiddleheads thaw in refrigerator or cold water and follow cooking direction outlined above before serving. Fiddleheads can be thawed in a microwave if for immediate consumption. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 5 Roasted Fiddlehead Ferns with Meyer Lemon and Capers Yield: 2 to 4 servings Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes “This is a simply prepared recipe that Ingredients packs a lot of “wow” with little effort. • 12 ounces (4 cups) fiddlehead ferns Perfect for busy lives, right? I thought so, • 3 tablespoons olive oil too. Food doesn’t have to be complicat- • 3 tablespoons capers, rinsed ed, but we want it to taste good! They • 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice don’t keep long, so let’s get started! “ • 2 teaspoons Meyer lemon zest • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, plus more for garnish • 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced • ½ Fresno chile; stemmed, seeded, finely chopped • Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste Directions Preheat the oven to 450°. In a large bowl, toss together all the ingredients until incorporated and lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet. Roast until golden and tender, 10 minutes. Transfer to a platter, then garnish with more thyme leaves and serve. © 2018 Copyright LillianLake.com. All rights reserved. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 6 This recipe can be made with virtually any mustard, but steer away from the hot ones. It will overwhelm the fiddleheads, not to mention your guests! Perhaps you foraged your own stash of fiddleheads out in the wild, If you like the essence white wine adds to a dish, look or snagged them from a roadside for a mustard with the wine already in it or add a tablespoon of white wine, leavimg out the lemon juice. stand or farmer’s market. Now what tasty morsel can you create from And this pairs well with grilled or oven-baked pork these green gems that can serve as chops, or even a roast. Your friends will think you a vegetable, even though we know worked all day. (Shhhh. I won’t tell if you don’t. ) them to be ferns? Fiddlehead Dijon Yield: 6 servings Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Ingredients • 1-1/2 pounds fresh fiddleheads • 1 tablespoon arrowroot • 1 cup nonfat buttermilk • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard • 3/4 teaspoon lemon juice • 1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon • 1/4 teaspoon pepper Directions Clean and prepare fiddleheads. Remove scales and wash thoroughly. Place fiddleheads in a vegetable steamer over boiling water. Cover and steam 20 minutes or until tender, but still crisp. Set aside, and keep warm. Combine arrowroot and buttermilk in a small saucepan; stir well. Cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in mustard, lemon juice, tarragon and pepper. Arrange fiddleheads on a serving platter. Spoon sauce over fiddleheads. Serve immediately. Fiddlehead Recipes | Page 7 Warning: Beware of buying farm raised shrimp... We live in Maine, where you can get fresh, locally caught shrimp in season. But over 90% of the shrimp you see in the grocery store is imported, farm raised or trafficked shrimp that is dangerous to your health and the environment. Read about it here on my blog. Maine Shrimp and Fiddlehead Medley Yield: 6 servings Directions Prep Time: 15 minutes Cut off ends of fiddleheads. Remove scales and wash Cook Time: 25 minutes thoroughly. Bring water to a boil in a large saucepan; Total Time: 40 minutes add shrimp and cook three to five minutes, or until done. Drain well, and set aside. Cook fiddleheads in Ingredients boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain. • 1 pound fiddleheads Coat a large, nonstick skillet with cooking spray; add • 6 ounces linguine, uncooked margarine.