While JayG is certainly correct that
the sight of lawn tractors is a sign of spring, I look for these:
Fiddleheads were a cause for celebration, at least here in New England. After a long, cold, snowy winter living off of preserved vegetables (or cabbage), the first fiddleheads in the spring offered sweet,
fresh vegetables for the table.
Fiddleheads with bacon:- 1 lb of Fiddleheads (check your farmer's market, or take the dogs for a walk in the woods)
- 6 strips of bacon
- 1 ½ tablespoons of cider, white wine, or rice vinegar (or more to taste)
- Black pepper to taste
In a cast iron skillet, fry the bacon and drain, reserving about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan. Crumble the strips into bacon bits. Boil the fiddleheads for about a minute - you
really don't want to do them too long; you're going for just slightly crunchy/toothsome, not limp and boiled to death. Drain for 30 seconds, and then saute for a minute in the skillet. Finish with the vinegar and pepper. You may want a little salt, too, but the bacon may give all you need.
You mean ferns? seriously! I had no idea ppl ate those, they are all in my grass right now, and the woods. I better look it up! wild. The thing is, bacon can make anything taste better.
ReplyDeleteStephany, yes - although you want baby ferns. If they're not curled, they're too mature (stemy) to eat.
ReplyDeleteIf you were to harvest the ones in my picture, you'd want the smaller ones. The larger ones could be used, but you'd want to trim off the stalk, just leaving the curled leafy bit.
The name comes from the elaborate, curved carving at the end of the neck of a violin, thus, "fiddlehead".
Thanks, I never knew any of this!
ReplyDeleteHope all is going well!
Young dandelion leaves are good also. They give an interesting taste when mixed in with salad greens.
ReplyDeleteS-s-spree-nng? Spring? What is this strange word you speak? It snowed again a couple days ago. Green is just a meaningless word for me right now.
ReplyDelete