Fiddling While Spring Burns

Last week, in the middle of a surprising spring heat wave, we had a fun family/friend dinner at Cousin J-Yah's house where we got a chance to taste something I haven't eaten in years - fern fiddleheads.

These are the leaves of ferns just as they emerge after winter dormancy and begin to unfurl into the spring sunshine. In western New York, they grow wild in the woods and it's not uncommon to encounter fellow "fiddlers" in early spring, searching for these.

These particular ones came from Whole Foods in Petaluma; the sign advertised them as tasting similar to asparagus. Can't say I agree with that descriptor - to me they taste just like themselves, green and woodsy and not really like anything else. Lightly steamed, they made a fresh accompaniment to the salmon and cod dinner we enjoyed thanks to Cousin J-Yah and her pal David.