Its almost fiddlehead time

billycap · #1 03-20-2016, 07:03 PM

An early spring it is! Im thinking only a couple weeks till im picking my first small batches and i doubt it will be a month till full production. Whos going out this year? What kind of areas do you pick? I must have a dozen good spots ive found over the past 5 years. I prefer the alpine ones that come up with the devils club in the spring run off creeks that dry out in late summer. I find them smaller more tightly coiled and much more labour intensive to get than the lowland ones. In my opinion they have a much milder flavor and the outer skin is thinner and they clean up faster. If there was a market for them a guy would go broke picking the alpine ones as i can easily pick 4x more in the low lands on any given day. Ive read and heard they sell them in some stores but an internet search reveals prices from 4 bucks a pound to 20 bucks a pound for run of the mill fiddleheads. Does anyone remember what they saw them going for and how they were produced? Up in the Vale im kinda in the middle of nowhere but the pickins are good and it might be worth checking around to see whos paying what....
5-6 hour drive puts me in range of a lot of different citys.
Good luck and happy hunting!

Xbolt7mm · #2 03-20-2016, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billycap

An early spring it is! Im thinking only a couple weeks till im picking my first small batches and i doubt it will be a month till full production. Whos going out this year? What kind of areas do you pick? I must have a dozen good spots ive found over the past 5 years. I prefer the alpine ones that come up with the devils club in the spring run off creeks that dry out in late summer. I find them smaller more tightly coiled and much more labour intensive to get than the lowland ones. In my opinion they have a much milder flavor and the outer skin is thinner and they clean up faster. If there was a market for them a guy would go broke picking the alpine ones as i can easily pick 4x more in the low lands on any given day. Ive read and heard they sell them in some stores but an internet search reveals prices from 4 bucks a pound to 20 bucks a pound for run of the mill fiddleheads. Does anyone remember what they saw them going for and how they were produced? Up in the Vale im kinda in the middle of nowhere but the pickins are good and it might be worth checking around to see whos paying what....
5-6 hour drive puts me in range of a lot of different citys.
Good luck and happy hunting!

Read the whole thing and still don't know what a fiddlehead is lol I just know you eat it,,,, mushrooms??edit,,, googled it, ferns

Astrocyte · #3 03-20-2016, 07:14 PM

Here in Edmonton I found some Fiddleheads sold at the Downtown farmers market. I believe it was $8 for 200g. I cannot remember exactly though. It was sold by a group that also goes and picks wild mushrooms so they were not there every week, only when they had good harvest times. I never bought any fiddleheads, I should have though just to try them. Instead I got the samphire (sea beans) because I was intrigued by the salty taste. This year though I am going to buy the fiddleheads to taste them...I have no idea where to find them out in the woods myself.

jlgsgw · #4 03-20-2016, 07:18 PM

I didn't know they had fiddle heads here, grew up on them, a real spring treat, boil them till they're soft and put butter, salt,pepper and a little vinegar , delicious

Bushrat · #5 03-20-2016, 08:09 PM

Last ones I bought were about $6 for 200 grams here in Alberta. They were farmed ones from the Fraser Valley, they were tougher and stringy. Not near as good as wild. Back east a lot of people pick them and sell them on roadsides, farmers markets and stores. Fiddlehead season rarely lasts longer than a couple weeks.

recce43 · #6 03-20-2016, 08:14 PM

yummy I love fiddle heads boil them then melt butter on them and a little white vinegar

HunterDave · #7 03-20-2016, 09:15 PM

I go picking every May long weekend. With the warm weather and early Spring I think that I may have a look the first week of May but I'm pretty sure that they won't be up anytime before that......around here anyway.

billycap · #8 03-20-2016, 09:43 PM

I agree the lowland season is about 2 weeks long. I can usually chase the alpine ones for another 2 weeks just by adding 1000m of elevation. Did well in morels last year for my first season going "commercial picker" and hoping to go all out this year and fiddlehead harvesting sounds like just the pre-season warm up i need. Im thinking 12-15 a pound would cover the effort and the gas. Could prob do 10 for larger orders. All the money jobs for me right now are up in camp so i would rather spend the time in the bush for 1/3 the dough if its possible.
Thanks for the input folks!

LKILR · #9 03-20-2016, 09:47 PM

Can someone post a pic or two please. So I know what I'm looking for .

billycap · #10 03-20-2016, 09:50 PM

http://fearlesseating.net/fiddleheads/

LKILR · #11 03-21-2016, 06:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by billycap

http://fearlesseating.net/fiddleheads/

Thanx for the link. Could I find some in southern Alberta?

Talking moose · #12 03-21-2016, 06:45 AM

Fiddleheads fried in garlic butter... Mmmm. Lots along the Peace River, especially where other rivers meet.

Talking moose · #13 03-21-2016, 06:50 AM

billycap · #14 03-21-2016, 09:23 AM

Not sure but i imagine they grow in southern ab in a few spots. Look for lowland swampy areas you would usually avoid in the warmer months. If you see nothing green poking out of the ground your too early in the year. If you see morel mushrooms your too late.

Good luck

buckmaster · #15 03-22-2016, 11:51 AM

I know of a place where there are lots of ferns. Is there more than one type of fern to look for ?

Bushrat · #16 03-22-2016, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by buckmaster

I know of a place where there are lots of ferns. Is there more than one type of fern to look for ?

Ostrich ferns only, and cook them well, do not eat raw they can make you sick uncooked. Other ferns might make you feel a little ill or a lot ill even if they are cooked well.