Which fiddleheads to pick

Fiddleheads of ostrich ferns emerge from mound-like, knobby rhizomes that stick out of the soil. Often there are old, feather-shaped reproductive fronds sticking straight up out of the center of the rhizome. Another identifying trait is that the stalks of ostrich fern fiddleheads have a U-shaped groove running along their entire length, just like a stalk of celery.

This groove is on the top side of the fiddlehead. Other fern species do not have this groove. If you want to grow your own ostrich ferns for spring harvests, choose a site in full shade, though the plants can tolerate some sun in the morning or afternoon. Moist but well draining soil, high in organic matter is best. It only takes a few years for them to get established and begin to spread into a nice size colony, just like asparagus.

The plants spread via underground rhizomes. Never dig plants up from the wild. Instead, purchase them from a reputable online nursery such as northcreeknurseries. Only harvest up to half of the emerging fiddleheads from any single plant. From our April issue. Its owner, year-old Butch Wells, opens up his warehouse each spring, cleans out the cobwebs, then sits back and waits for the fiddleheaders to appear. He barely knows who some of them are. They just start showing up in his driveway in mid-to-late April, when the mornings are still cold and the snowmelt off the mountains renders all of western Maine green and damp.

The tightly curled, emerald fronds of the fiddlehead — the immature Matteuccia struthiopteris, also known as the ostrich fern — are a cult food in northern New England and one of the few wild edibles that Mainers systematically harvest.

Medieval Europeans ascribed them medicinal and magical powers, from curing toothaches to conferring invisibility, and to me, they have long seemed similarly arcane. Each spring, I wonder about the livelihoods of the fiddleheaders I see hawking their harvest alongside Route 2. Where do they go in search of their ferns? How long does it take to fill one of their beat-up plastic buckets? So one April day, I went knocking at W. Butch thought for a minute.

It was at a. Colis is 83, born and raised in Maine. Some fiddleheaders go foraging for the income; a good one can make a few thousand dollars during the three-to-five—week season. Others — like Colis, who is retired with a pension — take their foraging seriously but are mostly in it for the love of the landscape or the solitude. Like fishermen, fiddleheaders guard their best spots. We drove a while, parked on the side of a dirt road east of Weld, then set out across a brushy flat within earshot of a brook that feeds Webb Lake.

Colis toted a nylon mesh bag, which once held 10 pounds of onions, and not much else. As we walked, my lesson commenced. It is important, however, to know just what to look for when foraging for fresh fiddleheads in order to avoid illness and fully enjoy this rare botanical treat.

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By using our site, you agree to our cookie policy. Cookie Settings. Learn why people trust wikiHow. Download Article Explore this Article parts. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Part 1. Notice the color. Ostrich fern fiddleheads are most often a gleaming jade-green color. The fiddleheads that are ripe for eating will always be a bright green hue, though this may sometimes be hidden by a thin, brown, papery skin covering the outside of the stalk.

Stay away from fiddleheads that have an inconsistent discoloration or appear dark and mottled, as these may be rotten. The brown, scale-like skin of ostrich fern fiddleheads can make them practically invisible in dim, wooded surroundings.

Dark green fronds might be other types of fiddlehead ferns, like shield, wood, or lady fern, and may be unsafe to ingest. Choose fiddleheads with tightly-coiled fronds. Inside the enclosed fronds there should be a bushy growth that will go on to become the broad leaves of the fern. Pass over fronds that are loose or beginning to unravel. These ferns usually have slightly different characteristics, such as bent, fuzzy tendrils or fronds in shapes other than spirals, though it can often be difficult to tell a difference.

Doing so may put you at risk of of serious illness. Check for a groove in the stem. Along the inner edge of the stalk where it wraps into the coil, you should find a deep U-shaped depression, much like a stalk of celery. Know when to pick. Fiddleheads emerge in the spring from perennial crowns. The season for picking is short — about two weeks in a given area. Fiddleheads will be up as the forsythia and serviceberry bloom.