Got to spend the afternoon with my favorite gal, 1/2 a bucket and a buck head, what a beautiful day.

Not popping up here yet it's been a cold spring.

they froze here

Guess I forgot the pic.

What are they?

Young ferns that haven't uncoiled yet.

Hmm, interesting, is this food? Give us ignants some insight please...

Fiddleheads are distantly related to and taste like asparagus. You eat them before the leaf uncurls.

Keith

Very good in salads and sautéed in olive oil and herbs.

Very cool, thanks!

I ate some out on the Aleutian Islands and they were kind of bitter. I can't say they reminded me of asparagus in any way other than being green. I was told after the fact they only eat certain types of fiddle heads. I have no idea if that is true or not.

They are ostrich ferns, they need to be blanched before you eat them.

This is the spore thingie, the fiddle heads have a brown paperey covering on the uncoiled ferns and the stem has a groove in it.

If you don't know your fiddleheads find somebody that does. Most ferns have fiddleheads that not only are not palatable but can cause several gastronomical distress. Bracken ferns are generally considered harmful to livestock yet every year I hear of people consuming their fiddleheads.

I have picked fiddle heads commercially in Oregon and there is only one (the lady fern that grows in swampy areas) that is considered good for that purpose here in Oregon. BTW, if they get too much sun they will be bitter. Go for the shaded area ones.

I tried fiddleheads for the 1st time tonight and I guarantee it won’t be the last time. Everyone really liked them

Hard to beat a meal of fresh trout and fiddleheads.

Fiddle heads are simmered ( light boil ) for 5 minutes…then strained….add fresh water to the pan …put the fiddle heads back into the water, and bring to a simmah for another 5 minutes. Strain ….add butter, salt peppah, paahmasean cheese…enjoy

They are harvested here commercially (in Southern Siberia, including the Altai, it is mostly Pteridium pinetorum), it's one of the few wild plants with a big and stable market. A lot of it goes to China and Korea but fiddleheads are also sold in most grocery stores (not just in delis, so it's nothing exotic), either pickled or in ready-made Korean salads.
They need to be boiled and soaked in water to remove the gastrointestinal irritants.

Tatiana, the fiddleheads you show appear to be the same as our Bracken Ferns. They are very common in many areas of North America, but seldom eaten, at least not nearly as often as our Ostrich Ferns are. I have eaten Bracken fiddleheads my whole life, but it is reported by most sources to have some carcinogens that should be avoided. Other writers say to eat all you want.