An Ode to the Fiddlehead Fern

Oh fiddle head with your head bent down
like midnight flower waiting to bloom
a barnacle's feather
a forager's green bean
the guard's tight bundled curved staff at the garden gate
we cannot pass
until blanched
sauteed or pickled
the entrance to the fiddle head's edible secret
is hushed by rarity

Fiddle Head Ferns

On Sunday, I went to the Ballard Farmer's Market as I like to do and picked up a special seasonal treat, fiddle head ferns! The forager was sold out of early morels and said that porcinis were on their way! I am anxiously waiting for morels like girl with a giddy crush, waiting for the next time they meet. Oh but fiddle head ferns! They are a lot of fun to look at as well as eat. The curved head of the fern looks like a tight green lollipop, the top of a guard's tight bundled curved staff at the entrance of a garden gate or a type of barnicle feather found in the ocean.
When you first get them, give them a good rinse. The reccommendation on how to cook them is first to blanch in salted water, longer than you would broccoli or asparagus or else a quick pickle or roasted. I blanched mine last night and did a quick saute in butter and salt and pepper. They were delicious, very nutty, a slight crunch on the outside like asparagus but softer in the middle. As strange as the curved fiddle heads appear, they are so good and they are lovely on a plate, a twirled and curled edible treat.

Recipe Writing for EAT and DRINK in The Northwest Book 2

I've given myself a personal timeline to have a list of recipes for the next EAT and DRINK in the Northwest publication- but that was Monday. I did happen to make a list of 14 possible recipes on Monday, that I think would be fun, summery and above all, delicious. The list will be a work in progress for a week I think. I have to tell you that I'm thinking about recipes the way a person would obsess about research of a foreign country they are about to visit. I think about different ingredient possibilities almost hourly. With so many wonderful ingredients to choose from in the summer months- how can one possibly choose? What amazing fruit or vegetable gets left out? Then there is the other side of the coin, will people want to experiment with fiddle head ferns and sea beans like me? If it's a good recipe- then I say yes!