Preparation: Trim the base of your ferns (the tough part, could be browning), leaving only a tiny tail beyond the circumference of each Fiddlehead. Rub off any remaining furry brown covering. Rinse under running water. Drop ferns into a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil for about 5 minutes or until tender. If undercooked, you will miss the full, rich flavor. Drain well, pat dry.

Place a sauté pan over medium heat and add butter. As it begins to bubble, add the blanched fiddleheads. Sauté for about two minutes, then add lemon juice and stir thoroughly. Season with salt, pepper and serve piping hot.

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1 bunch of Ontario asparagus                                    

Extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse sea salt and freshly ground black pepper       

Aged balsamic vinegar                                   

Parmesan, for shaving

Preparation:  Preheat oven to 400°F. Arrange asparagus spears in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle oil over asparagus and turn to coat. Season with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until lightly browned and just tender, 18-20 minutes.   Transfer asparagus to a platter. To serve, drizzle vinegar over hot asparagus and use a vegetable peeler to shave Parmesan over the spears. Adapted from Bon Appetite, May 2011.

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Hi everyone!  A beautiful selection this week – at long last.  Fiddleheads are here!  They’re our favorite – hands down.  Maybe it’s because they’re only around for a week or two – we’re hoping to have them for next week also – it’s never long enough for us though.  They’re SOO delicious.  As if that weren’t enough, asparagus is early this year!  First week for Campari tomatoes – from Zephr – also.  I’m really happy with the basket this week.  Fiddleheads are the best.  Hope you enjoy everything!!!     

Cooking Fiddleheads – Important

Fiddleheads need to be thoroughly cooked before eating.  They won’t taste good if they’re not cooked properly.  There’s a toxin, known as shikimic acid in fiddleheads when they’re raw, undercooked.  It can cause sickness – so make sure to cook them.

Cleaning Fiddleheads – Important

Snap off the crisp, bright green fiddlehead tops from ostrich ferns, leaving about 2 inches of stem attached. Rub off the dry brown casings by hand or put the fiddleheads in a wire salad basket and whirl the basket outdoors to remove the casings. Let the fiddleheads soak in a sink half full of cold water, changing the water several times to remove any grit or casing particles, and drain them. The fiddleheads keep, covered and chilled, for 1 week.   

A sustainable rural economy will be dependent on urban consumers loyal to local products.  Therefore, we are talking about an economy that will always be more cooperative than competitive.    Wendell Berry at the 1994 campout at Seed Savers Exchange, in Decorah. 

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Ingredients:

2 cups sliced hulled strawberries (about 1lb)

3 valencia oranges, peeled, thickly sliced crosswise, cut into 3/4-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1 tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar

1-2 tbsp thinly sliced fresh mint leaves

Preparation: Toss all ingredients in large bowl. Let stand at room temp. for 30 minutes. Adapted from Bon Appétit, 2009.

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 www.mamaearth.ca

½ lb fiddleheads

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1/8 cup butter or extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Preparation: Trim any brown ends off of the fern shoots and wash in cold water, pulling the paper-like brown skin off as you go. Drain and pat dry. Crush the minced garlic with the back of a spoon or the side of a large knife. Heat half the butter (or olive oil) in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the fern shoots and turn the heat up to medium-high. Ferns should sizzle, but don’t allow butter to burn. Toss and stir for about 5 minutes. Add the butter (or oil), the garlic, and the parsley. Continue cooking for one minute longer, or until you can smell the garlic and the ferns are tender. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately on hot plates.  From Gourmet Recipes.

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 www.mamaearth.ca

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1 lb broccoli, cut into spears

1/3 cup dry white wine

Grated zest of 1 valencia orange

Preparation: Heat the olive oil with the garlic over medium-high heat until just sizzling. Add the broccoli and cook, tossing frequently and gradually adding the wine to keep the garlic from browning until the stalks are tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the zest, toss well, and serve immediately. Adapted from Epicurious, 2008.

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 www.mamaearth.ca

2 tbsp butter

110g chopped shiitake mushrooms

1 shallot, chopped

1 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth

½ cup half-and-half

Salt and pepper to taste

Pinch of cinnamon (optional)

Preparation: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the shiitake mushrooms, and shallots for about 5 minutes, or until soft. Mix in the flour until smooth. Gradually stir in the chicken broth. Cook, stirring, 5 minutes, or until thick and bubbly. Stir in the half-and-half, season with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with cinnamon. Heat through, but do not boil.

(Note: you can substitute ½ small onion and a clove of garlic for a shallot if you don’t have any lying around!) 

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Ingredients:   

1 lb (bunch) of parsnips, peeled, cut diagonally in ¼-inch thick slices          

1 tbsp vegetable oil

Preparation: Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss parsnips with oil and salt to taste in a shallow (1-inch-deep) baking pan and roast in middle of oven, turning halfway through cooking, until golden and tender (30 to 35 min). Gourmet, 2000.

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Active Time: 15min                             Total Time: 35min

Ingredients:

1 bunch Ontario radishes with tops

¾ tbsp olive oil

Coarse kosher salt

1 tbsp unsalted butter

½ tsp fresh lemon juice

Preparation:  Preheat oven to 450°F. Brush large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet with olive oil. Cut off all but ½ inch of green radish tops; reserve trimmed tops and rinse them well, checking for grit. Coarsely chop radish tops and set aside. Cut radishes lengthwise in half and place in medium bowl. Add ¾ tbsp olive oil and toss thoroughly to coat. Place radishes, cut side down, on prepared baking sheet; sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Roast until radishes are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally, about 18 minutes. Season to taste with more coarse kosher salt, if desired.

Add pinch of coarse kosher salt to skillet and cook until butter browns, swirling skillet frequently to keep butter solids from burning, about 3 minutes over medium-high heat. Remove skillet from heat and stir in fresh lemon juice. Transfer roasted radishes to warmed shallow serving bowl and drizzle brown butter over. Sprinkle with chopped radish tops and serve. Adapted from Bon Appétit, 2011.

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Upscale people are fixated with food simply because they are now able to eat so much of it without getting fat, and the reason they don’t get fat is that they maintain a profligate level of calorie expenditure. The very same people whose evenings begin with melted goat’s cheese … get up at dawn to run, break for a mid-morning aerobics class, and watch the evening news while racing on a stationary bicycle. Barbara Ehrenreich.

You cannot sell a blemished apple in the supermarket, but you can sell a tasteless one provided it is shiny, smooth, even, uniform and bright. Elspeth Huxley

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