Letchworth leaks

[G-Man]

46 minutes ago, The_Real_TCIII said:

I had fiddleheads with every meal in New Brunswick and was unimpressed, I guess mi in the minority lol

Ostrich fern heads..just like asparagus just sweeter.

 

[Culvercreek hunt club]

1 hour ago, G-Man said:

Ostrich fern heads..just like asparagus just sweeter.

 

I've had the lady fern before but like the ostrich better

[dbHunterNY]

i'm not much of a wild herb and plant guy.  i'm just a simple guy so all can think of is that movie "Into the Wild" where the kid is doing alright but ends up eating wrong plant that looks very similar based on his book/manual.  it's not though and he gets poisoned and dies.  i all honesty i haven't heard or seen of any growing around here.

[mowin]

My dad was born and raised in Fair Haven VT. He used to tell me about fiddle head picking in the spring. He mentioned they fried them in butter and garlic, or pickled them.  Raved about how good they were.  Moved back to upstate NY, and low and behold, our 6 acres of land had a creek and wet area that just happened to have a crop of fiddle head ferns.   Dad was excited that spring. His childhood memories flooding his mind... Telling me how delicious these were.  We'd check them every other day until dad said there ready.  Don't remember the process of cleaning par boiling maybe to make them safe( might be remembering it wrong). 

They SUCKED.   He loved em, but I spit the thing across the room, lol. 

Edited April 23, 2018 by mowin

[coonhunter]

I have tons of them in my area as well. That's why i could never understand why people were having trouble finding them. Just drive down the road after a warm rain in the spring, and we can smell them plain as day. I never realized they didn't always grow like that. 

During turkey season I pick a bunch of them for eating and freezing. Mostly we just put them in a jar with water just to eat. I like to pickle a gallon or two of eggs, kielbasa, and leeks. And, the ever popular, potato and leek soup. They are just a good, versatile free food.

[crappyice]

Are these fiddleheads? Seem to be covered with a “spider-webbish” material



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[Paula]

I believe so.  The spidernand web is just extra protein for you. :-)

Edited April 27, 2018 by Paula

[crappyice]

Let them grow or pick em now?




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[turkeyfeathers]

I’m not positive on those as ostrich fiddleheads. Friend hooks me up. Although I do know you need a socket wrench and not a Phillips screwdriver 

[crappyice]

Ha! You like my digging tool!!! That’s what happens when a game gets cancelled and I end up with 30 free minutes. It was either that, the ice scrapper, or a golf club!

Did the job for this handful that are already swimming in soup.



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[crappyice]

Hey hey Paula.....how long do the ramps stick around for? Hoping to grill some fresh ones NEXT weekend. Do I continue to let them grow(seems to be some animals nibbling them) or do I harvest this weekend and keep them in the fridge?

I’m leaning towards leaving them for another week so they get a little fatter at the base.


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[turkeyfeathers]

Bulbs look big on those.  They’ll be around for a few more weeks.  I think if you put in a paper bag and in fridge for awhile they’d hold 

[Paula]

Seems like the season for everything is short.  Yes leave them in for another week

[PREDATE]

The bulbs wont get bigger in a week. You just have younger ramps. It takes a ramp 7 years to reach full size, this is why they can be scarce in certain areas. If they all get dug then they're gone.
Overharvesting is becoming more of an issue since every Tom, Dick & Harry are searching for them.
I practice sustainable harvesting by only digging mature ramps and only taking the leaves of smaller plants.

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[Paula]

What do you do with the leaves?

[REDNECK4LIFE32]

Going to be awhile for me middle of may is prime time up north. I have a few good spots on private land. Have had buddies get some on state land and get harassed by dec. I usually harvest a few quarts every year or 2. The leaves we just leave in the woods. I know some people keep the for salad there almost like a green tail onion. Some people use the leaves for soup also. Cant wait to start foraging.

[PREDATE]

What do you do with the leaves?

I put fresh leaves in green salads, they're very tender and have a nice light onion taste.
The rest I blanch then immediately dunk in an ice bath. Next I lay them out on a towel and dry thoroughly before freezing.

I made 5 lbs. of ramp compound butter to put on the tables at my wedding and it was a hit.
I put softened butter, ramp leaves, a few ramp bulbs and lemon zest in a blender. Blend thoroughly and fill muffin pans with the mixture. Freeze. Once fully frozen set the pan in an inch of warm water in your sink to loosen the "butter pucks". Finally, wrap individually in parchment/wax paper and freeze.


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[Paula]

Oh nice!