My wife and I went on a bit of a hunting trip yesterday to track down some tastety wild table fare. Took the dog with us to a good spot that has fiddleheads (ostrich ferns). These little fellas boiled then doused with butter and lemon are great. There is only about a two week period when the ferns start coming up and are tender enough to eat, so we cashed in and picked about 25lbs in two hours.
The fiddleheads.........
The spoils..........
Some wild flowers we saw along the way........
An old house along the trail..............
Some critters we also saw..........
Finished my two tail fans from this year too. Gifts for my brother in law and my dad back in Nova Scotia...........
It was a beautiful weekend and not too many bugs out yet, so it made for a nice afternoon in the woods.
Nice job on the tails for your relatives down home.I wonder If you will ever be able to hunt tukeys there?I know they don't want them to be introduced there but don't know why?
You eat the fern, but they have to be picked before they start to uncurl. In the first picture I would not pick the taller two sprouts on that plant, the lower ones are tender enough to be harvested. Once they uncurl to more than 3-4 inches tall they are not worth picking.
Great trip! I wonder if the ferns grow down here. I would like to try them sometime. Can you explain the process of making the fans? They look great and I bet they are cheaper and more satisfying than going to the taxedermist.
A bad day in the woods is better than a good day anywhere else.