Fiddleheads

Grossed out and slightly scared. That's how I would describe the feelings I had when I saw the Fiddleheads for the first time at Whole Foods. They looked like something that was going to unfurl and slither away. It's exactly the type of vegetable I wanted to be a part of this project. So I grabbed a handful and off I went, not knowing anything about this mysterious vegetable. I happen to stop by work, where my position is everything from personal assistant, house manager, handy-woman, basically, jack of all trades. Thinking that I would surprise everyone in the house with my new "find", I was surprised when my boss peeked in the bag and exclaimed "Oh fiddleheads!", as if it was as common as a head of iceberg lettuce. She explained that they used to grow wild near their previous home in Connecticut and would pick them to add to salads. My plan was to saute them and have them as a side dish to some shrimp and chicken skewers. We had a friend joining us for dinner, so I plied our guest with a couple of cold "beverages" and whipped out the latest "oddity" to serve up with dinner. My husband and our friend were both leery to say the least of the fiddleheads. I, on the other hand, was down right scared. At this point, I was very glad that I had joined in on those "beverages" earlier. How can a vegetable instill "fear"? An ugly green color, some furry brown parts, all rolled up like a caterpillar taking a nap is how. And here it was, sitting on my plate, just waiting for my fork to spear it and take the ride up to my mouth. I think we all took a bite in unison and am pretty sure we all agreed (I mentioned those beverages, right?) that the taste wasn't bad but the texture took a minute to get used to. My friend deemed it a "vegetarian shrimp". Not so much for the flavor, which I felt had a slight asparagus flavor, but the shape and the furriness reminded him of the crustacean that still had it's little legs intact. When it came down to it, the fiddleheads weren't bad. However, I won't be rushing out anytime soon and picking up more. Especially after a few of the articles I read online, afterward mind you. According to the few I read, they need to be thoroughly cooked because depending on the type of fiddlehead, some have trace amount of toxins that can cause illness in rare cases. Also, the fiddlehead is part of the fern plant and it's basically a frond that has not opened yet. On the plus side, most of the articles I read, all mention that fiddleheads are loaded with antioxidants and vitamins.

I think I will stick to my Flinstone's chewables.