I will admit, I can certainly be a creature of habit. Particularly when it comes to certain foods. Local food.
There area couple times of year when I need to treat myself to a bit of lobster. At some point near the first of the season, and about now, near the end of the season.
In the early spring, there is something about the taste of a trout, pretty much right from the brook to the frying pan.
And at this time of year, I need fiddleheads.
I’m not sure how I developed the fiddlehead craving. It wasn’t really a family tradition. Since much of my family is from the south shore, they weren’t big fiddlehead eaters. You can find the right type of ferns if you look hard enough, but they don’t seem to be as plentiful as they are in New Brunswick.
But there were members of the family who lived closer to the New Brunswick border. I think that’s how it started. They would get their hands on fiddleheads and pass a few along.
There was a time when you could get frozen fiddleheads, so you could enjoy them all year round. But I haven’t seen a lot of frozen ones lately. So every year, I patiently wait for that brief window when the ferns start to sprout and fiddleheads are available.
I’ve seen a number of different ways to prepare and serve them. They can be boiled, steamed, sauteed, broiled or pickled. They can be served with just butter or even Hollandaise sauce, or a number of other ways.
I just like them boiled with butter and pepper, just so I can enjoy that nice taste of fern. Not something most people would normally say, but I like them. And I managed to get a feed of them last night.
When I was much younger, I probably would have thought you were crazy if you told me I would be a big fan of greens, but it turns out I am. And I like the idea of food coming from fairly local sources. And a feed of fiddleheads has kept me from raiding the flower gardens and munching on the hostas, although I hear they’re pretty tasty.
One of these days I’m going start keeping a calendar, just so I can remember which foods come at which time. Strawberries could be up next. I, for one, can’t wait.
