Snow in the forecast again? We’ve had such lovely warm weather the last few days and hundreds of daffodils in our field are profusely blooming. On hearing this news I headed into the woods behind the house to gather fiddlehead ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) for supper before they were snowed under.
The picking season for fiddleheads is short. It doesn’t take long for the tightly wound stems to unfurl with a little coaxing from the warming earth. You’ve got to harvest them while they’re still curled up.
I like to heat a little olive oil in a pan with salt and pepper and sauté the fiddleheads lightly so their delectable earthy flavor remains intact. For last night’s dinner we complimented the fiddleheads with a piece of wild salmon and a glass of white wine; a perfect simple meal.
Foraging for fiddleheads is a nice way to see what else is going on in the woods this time of year – blooming trillium, trout lilies and spring beauties, burgeoning skunk cabbage, the beaver family’s logging activities and turkey tracks.
Many of my monoprints include vegetation picked up on my walks in the woods and fields around my house. I couldn’t resist incorporating fiddleheads into these 5” x 6” prints. To see more monoprints click here.
Wild edibles, fiddlehead ferns, ostrich ferns, Matteuccia struthiopteris, how to cook fiddlehead ferns, Poppy Gall art,
http://www.mobot.org/gardeninghelp/plantfinder/Plant.asp?Code=E180
Snow in the forecast again? We’ve had such lovely warm weather the last few days and hundreds of daffodils in our field are profusely blooming. With this prediction I headed into the woods behind our house to gather fiddlehead ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) for supper before they could be snowed under.

The picking season for fiddleheads is short. It doesn’t take long for the tightly wound stems to unfurl with a little coaxing from the warming earth. You have to harvest them while they’re still curled up, otherwise they tickle your tongue.
I like to heat a little olive oil in a pan with salt and pepper and sauté the fiddleheads lightly so their delectable earthy flavor remains intact. Wild salmon and a glass of white wine complimented the fiddleheads for last night’s dinner; a perfect simple meal.
Foraging for fiddleheads is a nice way to see what is going on in the woods this time of year – blooming trillium, trout lilies and spring beauties, burgeoning skunk cabbage, the beaver family’s logging activities and turkey tracks.
Many of my monoprints incorporate vegetation that I’ve gathered while walking in the woods and fields around my house. I couldn’t resist using fiddleheads in this series of 5” x 6” prints. To see more monoprints click here.

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