Fiddleheads

 Fiddleheads or Fiddlehead greens are the young, curled fronds of ferns that are are eaten as a leaf vegetable. Two common species of fern harvested from the wild in the Northeast USA for fiddleheads are Ostrich fern or Cinnamon fern. Ostrich fern is widely considered to be more palatable than Cinnamon fern. Clusters of fronds can be 3-6’ tall and 4-8’ in diameter

Cultural Instructions
Plant in moist-to-wet, humus-rich (black) soil. Prefers full shade, will tolerate up to half sun as long as water is available. This is an ideal plant for the shady, wet conditions of the SVSF forest garden. Ostrich and Cinnamon fern are hardy in climate zones 3 to 8. Shipping begins in ~ late March based on ground temperatures.

Harvest
Fiddleheads are harvested from clusters of ferns either in early Spring or Fall, when new, tender fronds are just forming and have not yet unfurled. The fronds are cut close to the ground as they are not very tall.

Preparation for Consumption
To cook fiddleheads, it is advised to remove the yellow/brown skin, then boil the sprouts twice with a change of water between boilings. Removing the water reduces the bitterness and the content of tannins and toxins. The Centers for Disease Control associated a number of food-borne illness cases with fiddleheads in the early 1990s. Although they did not identify a toxin in the fiddleheads, the findings of that case suggest that fiddleheads should be cooked thoroughly before eating.The cooking time recommended by health authorities is 15 minutes if boiled and 10 to 12 minutes if steamed. The cooking method recommended by gourmets is to spread a thin layer in a steam basket and steam lightly, just until tender crisp.

A word of caution on preparation of fiddleheads for consumption: http://www.epi.hss.state.ak.us/bulletins/docs/b2010_23.pdf

Plant Material Sources
Ostrich Fern 

100 plants $0.60/plant @ http://www.onlineplantnursery.com/ostrich-fern/ - TN

100 plants $0.53/plant @ http://www.tntreefarmnursery.com/ostrich-fern/ - TN

200+ plants $1.76/plant @ http://www.kvbwholesale.com/product/Ostrich__Fern/Ferns-Shade-Plants?p=3600571

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-size:15px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal">Minimum 100 plants $0.79/plant @ <span style="font-size:11px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://www.wholesalenurseryco.com/nursery.cfm/2649/fiddlehead-fern

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt;text-indent:36pt">

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-size:15px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal">Cinnamon Fern 

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height:1.15;margin-top:0pt;margin-bottom:0pt"><span style="vertical-align:baseline;font-variant:normal;font-style:normal;font-size:15px;text-decoration:none;font-family:Arial;font-weight:normal">    Min. 100 plants $0.81/plant <span style="font-size:11px;font-family:Arial;color:rgb(17,85,204);font-weight:normal;font-style:normal;font-variant:normal;text-decoration:underline;vertical-align:baseline">http://www.wholesalenurseryco.com/nursery.cfm/2008/cinnamon-fern