Fiddlehead Season

I have enjoyed fiddleheads for many years. I am always so excited when I see them at Whole Foods - and they are in season! Yay! (Yes, I am aware of my weaknesses - see the entry about Meyer Lemons...) I wish I knew where I could harvest them around here - I think that would be fun.

Several years ago we traveled to New Brunswick in the spring and, at a local farmers' market, purchased a jar of pickled fiddleheads. They were quite good and I savored that jar for about a month. Seeing a bin in Whole Foods just filled to brimming with fiddleheads, I had to make some for myself.

I bought 2 pounds of them and some of them have been cooked for dinner, first steamed then sauteed with butter and maple pepper. The rest got pickled. I packed them into jars, 2 pints and 2 half-pints, and then poured the hot vinegar/sugar/spice solution over them. These were then processed for 10 minutes. The one thing which I dislike about cold-packing is that the fiddleheads cooked up smaller and and the jars are mostly vinegar with the fiddleheads floating on top. I'm sure they will taste fine, though.