Where fiddleheads grow, what they taste like, and recipes
Fiddleheads are a sign of spring! Also called fiddlehead greens, they are the young shoots of the ostrich fern and an early springtime delicacy. If you’ve never heard of fiddleheads before, discover where fiddleheads grow, what they taste like, a couple of fiddlehead recipes, and magical fern folklore!
What Are Fiddleheads?
In April, young ferns sprout from wet soil, appearing bright green against the decaying leaves. These are fiddleheads, so-called because the very tops—furled tight when young—look like the tuning end of a fiddle. Similar in looks (and taste) to asparagus, fiddleheads are usually only available for a few weeks in the spring before the fern leaves unravel.
Where Do Fiddleheads Grow?
Like most ferns, fiddleheads like shady, woodsy areas, near water. The edible fiddleheads of the ostrich fern (Matteuccia struthiopteris) can be found in central and eastern U.S. and Canada near streams and moist, forested areas. Many Native American tribes would traditionally harvest fiddleheads, and these days they are harvested commercially in the spring.
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If fiddleheads can’t be foraged in your area, you may be able to find them in green grocers, speciality food shops, or at farmers’ markets. They’re only available fresh for a few weeks in springtime, but they’re also sold frozen and canned.
When Are Fiddleheads Harvested?
Fiddleheads are harvested as a vegetable in the early spring as they emerge from the fern crown. They must be picked before the fronds open in order to be edible and tasty.
Each ostrich fern plant will produce several tops that turn into fronds. They are best harvested as soon as they are a couple of inches off of the ground while the fiddlehead is still tightly curled. Fiddleheads should only be harvested from healthy crowns that can sustain picking. It’s best to take only half the tops from each plant (at most) so that the ferns can continue growing. As with wild ramps, it’s important not to overharvest and deplete our natural resources!
CAUTION: If you harvest fiddleheads in the wild, ensure you can identify the ostrich fern from other ferns. Not all ferns are edible; in fact, bracken ferns are carcinogenic and should not be consumed. See fiddlehead safety tips.
What Do Fiddleheads Taste Like?
Have you ever eaten fiddleheads? Many readers say they are sweet like asparagus and snappy like a green bean, with a touch of broccoli stem. Others describe fiddleheads as a cross between asparagus, baby spinach, and artichoke. They have a grassy, springy flavor with a touch of nuttiness. You’ll have to judge for yourself, as it’s a unique taste! Fiddleheads are also a very healthy green tonic packed with antioxidants, omega acids, iron, and fiber.
Fiddlehead Recipes
Many people cook the young fiddleheads like they would asparagus. They need to be cooked thoroughly before eating. Although the ostrich fern is not known to be toxic, it’s a safe precaution.
Remove the husk, wash three times in cold water, and then either boil for 15 minutes or steam lightly in a steam basket for 10 to 12 minutes, just until tender-crisp.
Learn more about cleaning, cleaning, storing, and preserving fiddleheads.
Check out this recipe for Fiddlehead Soup from the Almanac archives.
A Little Fern Folklore
Fiddleheads and ferns first show up in fossil records from a time over 100 million years BEFORE dinosaurs walked the Earth. In fact, ferns grew before flowering plants existed. Long ago, people couldn’t explain how ferns reproduced since they lack flowers or seeds. Fern seeds were thought to make one invisible!
Today we know that ferns truly don’t have flowers or seeds. How do they reproduce? They have spores. With sunlight and photosynthesis, the spores grow into gametes, which are able to fertilize the sperm and start to move it into the fern plant. This is completely different reproductive process from other plants—no wonder people had questions!
It was this mystery of the nonflowering fern that led to folklore about mystical flowers as seeds.
Midsummer Eve Lore
During the Middle Ages, ferns were thought to flower and produce seed only once a year at a specific time on a specific date near the summer solstice.
- According to lore, fern seeds could only be found at midnight on St. John’s Eve (June 23), also called Midsummer Eve.
- This folklore is also intertwined with Midsummer’s Day (June 24); bathing in the dew on this morning was said to bring a youthful glow and healing.
Since the seeds couldn’t be seen, they were believed to be invisible. It was believed the possessor of these seeds could understand the language of birds, find buried treasure, and have the strength of forty men.
Ferns for Healing
Historically, ferns have been an important source of medicine for various ailments, especially for ancient tribes.
- The spores on the underside of the fern provide relief from stinging nettle (which is often nearby).
- When boiled in oil or fat, Ophioglossum vulgatum has been used to treat wounds and reduce inflammation.
- A poultice or lotion made from the roots of Botrychium virginianum has been applied to snakebites, bruises, cuts, and sores in the Himalayas.
- The powdered rhizomes of Adiantum lunulatum have been used as an antidote to snakebite in India.
- Extract of fresh leaves of Nephrolepis cordifolia has been used to stop bleeding of cuts and help in blood coagulation.
- The paste of the leaf of O. reticulatum has been applied to the forehead to get rid of headaches.
- Filtered water extract of rhizome of Abacopteris multilineata has been used for stomach pains.
Fern Symbolism
The ancient fern has a history rich in symbolism. As mentioned above, ferns were seen as good luck, often for new lovers. The fern symbolizes eternal youth.
- To the indigenous Maori of New Zealand, the fern represented new life and new beginnings.
- To the Japanese, the fern symbolizes family and hope for future generations.
- According to Victorians, the fern symbolizes humility and sincerity. Click to see the meaning of plants and flowers.
Growing the Ostrich Fern
Ostrich ferns (Matteuccia struthiopteris) grow in the wild in the cool, moist shade beside streams and rivers. However, these native perennials are also easy to grow in your landscape if you have moist soil and a shady area. They provide an elegant ground cover and are hardy in Zones 3 to 8.
Though most ferns are 1 to 3 feet wide, the ostrich fern can grow up to 6 feet tall! They form large colonies and are also long-lived. Enjoy watching the springtime fiddleheads slowly unfurl into lacy, bright green fronds.
Plant in the spring as bare-root plants in well-draining soil with added organic matter. They prefer shade and acidic soils with a pH of 4 to 7. Fertilizing should only be done in spring, just after new growth has begun. Ferns are very sensitive to fertilizing, so use a slow-release fertilizer, such as Osmocote 14-14-14. As ferns in nature normally grow in woodland areas, they appreciate some leaf mulch in the spring and fall. That’s it!
Did you know: Ferns also make great houseplants!
Catherine Boeckmann
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the recipe says boil them for 10 to 12 minutes till tender crisp.Most things you boil that long would be mushy not tender crisp
When I was a child my mother would send my older siblings out to gather ferns to make a tea bath for ring worm. I asked her about this before she died in 2004 but she could not recall the name of the fern. It worked. Does anyone recall anything about this particular fern. I went with my siblings once when I was very small. They were growing from the banks of a little dirt country road near us and they seemed tall to a 4 year old.
are fern leaves that asren't fiddleheads edible?
no; all ferns have fiddleheads, but not all fiddleheads are edible;
I think that question was asking if the leaves, once older and unfurled, are still edible- OR are they only edible when young and coiled up. My guess is that they would be tougher once aged a bit- more tender and yummy when young.
When we were young, my father would harvest the ferns in the backyard and boil them down. After straining, the juice was kept in a bottle and used to relieve the itchy rash from poison ivy. Just blot it on the rash using a cotton ball. It helped dry that rash up. My friends thought it was odd, but it worked.
way back I had a College Class on biology and the professor brought out a can of fiddleheads. he had bought it on a visit to the Northeast. Canned fiddleheads!
Your grandmother’s rat tail fern sounds like a Horsetail Fern.
They have sections separated with a white stripe.
I have a fern that was my grandmothers. She would Have been about 120 by now. It is what we called a rat tail fern. Has little "tails" that grow on the outside of the pot mainly. The leaves Or what ever you call them come on the tails. I have failed to find the name of them. Can anyone help?
I love ferns … which comes as no surprise since I have ancestry with the Scots clan Robertson … their representative plant is the fern, :)
