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I love this time of year! Here in central coastal California, the fresh green grasses growing tall, miner's lettuce and chickweed flourishing on the forest floor. Mushroom emerging from humus and layers of decaying oak leaves and pine needles. And the ferns! The big fluffy bracken ferns spreading its 'wings' under the forest canopy, creating its own delicate canopy.
I'm delighted to see the fiddleheads emerging like slender arms reaching up and slightly arching with the most beautiful lines, topped with tightly rolled branches that look like a series of closed fists, or as a student said to me this week, they look like a bunch of caterpillars! 🐛🐛🐛
The tops of these ferns resemble the neck of a violin, aka fiddle, and thus the name "fiddlehead"
There are many types of ferns, and the new shoots come in various shapes! I learned how to identify the edible variety in my nearby nature. Yours might be different, so start by doing some research. Nature journaling can help you notice the differences better.
Harvesting
I enjoy wandering in the forest, scanning nature to see what's growing today. I ask the forest if I might receive some food for nourishment for me and my family today. I look to see if there is an abundant supply. If this patch is sparse, I pass on collecting, and look for a place with more.
When I find the patch, I pass on the first one, and harvest every 2nd or 3rd fern. I take only what I need for one meal, while saying thank you with each one, and talking to the ferns in generally, telling them how much I enjoy them and are grateful.
These ferns grow single shoots along an underground rhizome. If your fern grows in a clump, with several shoots emerging, choose to only harvest one and move to another clump.
I've been noticing these ferns carefully for years, and sketching them in my nature journal. I started researching them in foraging books online resources, learning about which of the several varieties of ferns are edible, how to prepare them to minimize harm, and being thoughtful, and infusing gratitude and reverence at each step of the way.
Fiddleheads need to be properly processed, one way is boiling in water. Sauteed with Swiss Chard and garlic and tossed with pasta.
When I tasted the wild fiddleheads in my dinner, I was struck by the knowing and feeling that this food that is nourishing me, was nourished by the forest. I was receiving a beautiful gift from the forest. It had become part of me, through the harvesting process and the eating.
I used a recipe in this book: Forage Gather Feast by Maria Finn. It's got gorgeous photos, how to forage on the coast, forests and urban spaces with lots of recipes! You can order from my bookshop page here. or below.
Eating wild foods is not about gorging yourself on a giant portion, but to enjoy intentionally with mind, heart and body with mindful gratitude. Its a way to connect ot the place, the land and wake up our innate connection with nature.
Wild grown foods have micro nutrients that may not be in our commercially grown foods. You don't need to eat giant quantities-- just a nibble a few miner's lettuce leaves while on a walk (they are sweet and melt in your mouth!), or a handful of huckleberries while on an outing, or harvesting a bowl of wild blackberries for breakfast.
Its common sense to ensure that you do your own research to understand which kinds of plants are edible and how to prepare them to minimize any side effects.
You might use your nature journal to sketch/draw and write about your target edibles as you develop a better understanding and hone your identification skills!
Some resources:
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