Produce Briefs...
Radicchio
Cooking radicchio brings out the vegetable's natural sweetness but it can also be served fresh. Grill radicchio halves and combine with cooked white beans and balsamic vinaigrette.
Brussels Sprouts
Brussels sprouts are members if the Brassica family and therefor kin to broccoli and cabbage. They do, indeed, resemble miniature cabbage. They are hardy and slow growing winter vegetable.
Seasons/Availability
Fiddlehead Ferns are available as early as late March. East coast supplies arrive around the beginning of May.
Current Facts
Fiddlehead ferns emerge from the grounds of forests and riverbanks for a short few weeks in spring. Fiddleheads are a wild species, hand-foraged for market. Growing in patches, fiddleheads are deciduous; they grow from spring, through summer and die off in the winter. Each pack may produce three or four "pickings".
Description/Taste
A fiddlehead is the small, green, unfurled shoot of an ostrich fern. Resembling the curved head of a violin, the fiddlehead fern has a fresh, woodsy flavor similar to artichokes or asparagus with a firm, chewy texture.
Nutritional Value
Fiddleheads are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and are rich in niacin, magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus. They are also rich in antioxidants and bioflavonoids, which are plant chemicals that help protect against disease.
Applications
Similar in texture to artichoke hearts and asparagus, fiddlehead ferns can be roasted, braised and sauteed to bring out their mild flavor. Blanche and discard water to rid ferns of their fuzzy, brown hairs, then cook again. Add to risotto and fresh pasta dishes; pair with asparagus, fresh peas, morels, and chives.
Geography/History
Western US fiddlehead ferns are picked along the Oregon coast, where they are often in tidal areas, receiving twice-daily flooding along the river banks. and throughout damps forests. Fiddlehead ferns also flourish throughout Canada, and New England, usually arriving eight weeks later than Oregon specimans.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Fiddlehead Ferns. One
is easiest, three is harder.
Fiddlehead Ferns are available as early as late March. East coast supplies arrive around the beginning of May.
Current Facts
Fiddlehead ferns emerge from the grounds of forests and riverbanks for a short few weeks in spring. Fiddleheads are a wild species, hand-foraged for market. Growing in patches, fiddleheads are deciduous; they grow from spring, through summer and die off in the winter. Each pack may produce three or four "pickings".
Description/Taste
A fiddlehead is the small, green, unfurled shoot of an ostrich fern. Resembling the curved head of a violin, the fiddlehead fern has a fresh, woodsy flavor similar to artichokes or asparagus with a firm, chewy texture.
Nutritional Value
Fiddleheads are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and are rich in niacin, magnesium, iron, potassium, and phosphorus. They are also rich in antioxidants and bioflavonoids, which are plant chemicals that help protect against disease.
Applications
Similar in texture to artichoke hearts and asparagus, fiddlehead ferns can be roasted, braised and sauteed to bring out their mild flavor. Blanche and discard water to rid ferns of their fuzzy, brown hairs, then cook again. Add to risotto and fresh pasta dishes; pair with asparagus, fresh peas, morels, and chives.
Geography/History
Western US fiddlehead ferns are picked along the Oregon coast, where they are often in tidal areas, receiving twice-daily flooding along the river banks. and throughout damps forests. Fiddlehead ferns also flourish throughout Canada, and New England, usually arriving eight weeks later than Oregon specimans.
Recipe Ideas
Recipes that include Fiddlehead Ferns. One
is easiest, three is harder.
