Cooking With Bracken Fern Fiddleheads
Bracken ferns, Pteridium aquilinum, produce a delicious stalk vegetable called a "fiddlehead". Enjoyed by many cultures throughout the world, these fiddleheads are a delicious springtime vegetable that can be enjoyed safely cooked, in season, and in moderation.
While millions of people regularly eat this vegetable, it should be noted that some populations of bracken fern contain minute amounts of the carcinogen ptaquiloside. This compound is purportedly not heat-stable and so it appears to be destroyed by simply cooking the fiddleheads for several minutes prior to eating. Besides cooking bracken, eating them at their small fiddlehead stage, in moderation, and only during their short season of fresh availability will also limit exposure to any of the potential risks that may be associated with long-term consumption of the plant.
Once cooked, bracken fiddleheads turn an emerald color of green and lend themselves well to recipes that call for asparagus, but also more generally in stirfrys, soups, egg dishes, and casseroles.
For more comprehensive information on the plant, preparation methods, and its use in cuisine, please visit the following two websites:
Bracken ferns, Pteridium aquilinum, produce a delicious stalk vegetable called a "fiddlehead". Enjoyed by many cultures throughout the world, these fiddleheads are a delicious springtime vegetable that can be enjoyed safely cooked, in season, and in moderation.
While millions of people regularly eat this vegetable, it should be noted that some populations of bracken fern contain minute amounts of the carcinogen ptaquiloside. This compound is purportedly not heat-stable and so it appears to be destroyed by simply cooking the fiddleheads for several minutes prior to eating. Besides cooking bracken, eating them at their small fiddlehead stage, in moderation, and only during their short season of fresh availability will also limit exposure to any of the potential risks that may be associated with long-term consumption of the plant.
Once cooked, bracken fiddleheads turn an emerald color of green and lend themselves well to recipes that call for asparagus, but also more generally in stirfrys, soups, egg dishes, and casseroles.
For more comprehensive information on the plant, preparation methods, and its use in cuisine, please visit the following two websites:
- "Fern Fiddleheads: The Succulent Stalks of Spring" by Samuel Thayer
- "How to Eat Bracken Fern Safely" by Hank Shaw
Nannyberry Butter Recipe
Seasonally Sourced Foods is proud to offer nannyberries, Viburnum lentago, throughout this fall season. These delicious dark blue-black berries decorate shrubs can be found in many edge habitats ranging from lake shores all the way to farm field windbreaks. There flavor ranges with notes of cherry, prunes, bananas, and the "taste of autumn." We harvest the berries at just the perfect stages of maturity so that they can be enjoyed fresh out of your hand (while chewing gently around the seeds and discarding them) or made into a rich, velvety butter--see our recipe below.
Seasonally Sourced Foods is proud to offer nannyberries, Viburnum lentago, throughout this fall season. These delicious dark blue-black berries decorate shrubs can be found in many edge habitats ranging from lake shores all the way to farm field windbreaks. There flavor ranges with notes of cherry, prunes, bananas, and the "taste of autumn." We harvest the berries at just the perfect stages of maturity so that they can be enjoyed fresh out of your hand (while chewing gently around the seeds and discarding them) or made into a rich, velvety butter--see our recipe below.
1) Start off by rinsing your berries and removing them from the stems.
2) Put berries in a pot with just enough water to barely cover the berries and start heating.
3) Bring the berries and water to a gentle boil while stirring and mashing for several minutes. Mashing the berries will help to break their skins and re-hydrate any berries that may have been dry.
4) Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. While it is still warm, press mixture through a sieve or use a cheesecloth or straining bag to work out the sauce--ensuring that the seeds and skins stay behind.
5) Consider repeating steps 3 and 4 with the seeds and skins that were separated out, as they will still contain some extra sauce that can be added to the first batch.
6) Put mixture in a glass jar and keep in your refrigerator for several weeks. The sauce will thicken up well as it cools and can be used as a topping for cheesecake, vanilla pudding, yogurt, or on it's own by the spoonful!
Hawthorn Berry Spiced Sauce
This fruity, spiced sauce is gently sweet. Made with fresh hawthorn berries (Crataegus spp.) it can be used as a chutney or steak sauce, it brightens up venison, pork, and fried tempeh dishes. Once made, this sauce will keep for up to two months in refrigerator.
Ingredients:
1) To begin, separate any debris from the berries and rinse well. Add to a large sauce pan with the vinegar and water, then bring to a boil.
2) Allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, until the skins of the berries begin to lighten in color and burst easily
3) Take off the heat and pour all contents through a sieve and into a container. You may need to use your hands to press as much pulp and liquid from the berries as possible, leaving the skins and seeds behind.
4) Pour this liquid mixture back into the large sauce pan.
5) Season to taste with maple syrup, salt, and pepper and place over medium heat, stirring often, and bring to a boil.
6) Simmer for 5-10 minutes more, until sauce is reduced and syrup-like. This sauce will only thicken slightly when cooled.
7) Take off heat and cool for several minutes, then transfer to sterilized bottles and refrigerate.
Highbush Cranberry Cider
Bright, sour, tart, and buoyant! This sweet fall cider is a match made in heaven, or as some refer to it, the Northwoods. The wild puckering power of the American highbush cranberries (Viburnum trilobum) is tamed only by the sweet and deep flavors of the apple cider. Pairs well with your best flannel.
Ingredients
1) Thoroughly wash cranberries under cold water. Do not worry about de-stemming.
2) Crush berries in a bowl with your hands or a masher.
3) Over a bowl, pour berries and juice into a cheesecloth bag and squeeze, press, and twist to extract as much juice as possible while keeping the skins, seeds, and stems in the bag. Set bag contents aside.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together bag contents and one half of the apple cider. Mixing thoroughly to fully infuse the apple cider.
5) Repeat step 3 to extract any remaining cranberry juice and pulp, then compost the skins, seeds, and stems after this second round of pressing/juicing.
6) Whisk together all juices and remaining apple cider and pour into a serving pitcher or clean jar. If flavor is too strong for your liking, you may add extra water to dilute.
7) Keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Note: While this recipe can be heated after step 6, it is very important not to heat the cranberries with the seeds as this will impart a bitter flavor.
2) Put berries in a pot with just enough water to barely cover the berries and start heating.
3) Bring the berries and water to a gentle boil while stirring and mashing for several minutes. Mashing the berries will help to break their skins and re-hydrate any berries that may have been dry.
4) Allow the mixture to cool for a few minutes. While it is still warm, press mixture through a sieve or use a cheesecloth or straining bag to work out the sauce--ensuring that the seeds and skins stay behind.
5) Consider repeating steps 3 and 4 with the seeds and skins that were separated out, as they will still contain some extra sauce that can be added to the first batch.
6) Put mixture in a glass jar and keep in your refrigerator for several weeks. The sauce will thicken up well as it cools and can be used as a topping for cheesecake, vanilla pudding, yogurt, or on it's own by the spoonful!
Hawthorn Berry Spiced Sauce
This fruity, spiced sauce is gently sweet. Made with fresh hawthorn berries (Crataegus spp.) it can be used as a chutney or steak sauce, it brightens up venison, pork, and fried tempeh dishes. Once made, this sauce will keep for up to two months in refrigerator.
Ingredients:
- 2 quarts Hawthorn berries, fresh
- 1 ¼ cup Apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup Water
- ½ cup Maple syrup, may add more to taste
- ½ teaspoon Wild ginger or cultivated ginger powder
- ½ teaspoon Nutmeg, grated
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 teaspoon Cloves, ground
- 1/8 teaspoon Allspice, ground
- 1/8 teaspoon Black pepper, ground
- dash Garlic, powder
1) To begin, separate any debris from the berries and rinse well. Add to a large sauce pan with the vinegar and water, then bring to a boil.
2) Allow to simmer for approximately 20 minutes, until the skins of the berries begin to lighten in color and burst easily
3) Take off the heat and pour all contents through a sieve and into a container. You may need to use your hands to press as much pulp and liquid from the berries as possible, leaving the skins and seeds behind.
4) Pour this liquid mixture back into the large sauce pan.
5) Season to taste with maple syrup, salt, and pepper and place over medium heat, stirring often, and bring to a boil.
6) Simmer for 5-10 minutes more, until sauce is reduced and syrup-like. This sauce will only thicken slightly when cooled.
7) Take off heat and cool for several minutes, then transfer to sterilized bottles and refrigerate.
Highbush Cranberry Cider
Bright, sour, tart, and buoyant! This sweet fall cider is a match made in heaven, or as some refer to it, the Northwoods. The wild puckering power of the American highbush cranberries (Viburnum trilobum) is tamed only by the sweet and deep flavors of the apple cider. Pairs well with your best flannel.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts American highbush cranberries, raw, fresh
- 1 quart , Apple cider, raw, fresh
1) Thoroughly wash cranberries under cold water. Do not worry about de-stemming.
2) Crush berries in a bowl with your hands or a masher.
3) Over a bowl, pour berries and juice into a cheesecloth bag and squeeze, press, and twist to extract as much juice as possible while keeping the skins, seeds, and stems in the bag. Set bag contents aside.
4) In a separate bowl, mix together bag contents and one half of the apple cider. Mixing thoroughly to fully infuse the apple cider.
5) Repeat step 3 to extract any remaining cranberry juice and pulp, then compost the skins, seeds, and stems after this second round of pressing/juicing.
6) Whisk together all juices and remaining apple cider and pour into a serving pitcher or clean jar. If flavor is too strong for your liking, you may add extra water to dilute.
7) Keeps for up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
Note: While this recipe can be heated after step 6, it is very important not to heat the cranberries with the seeds as this will impart a bitter flavor.