A Forager’s Dream Come True Fiddleheads & Morels!
By Nate Bazydlo
When I hear fiddleheads I think of Sadie Wolk turning up her soft cotton t-shirt into the perfect basket to load up with freshly picked fiddleheads. She would dance her way through the curly fiddleheads nearly floating from fern to fern. Sadie Wolk was a wild teenager that communicated with the fiddleheads like no other. For this reason perhaps, the fiddleheads that came out of Sadie Wolk’s t-shirt basket were always the most delicious.
When I hear morel mushrooms I instantly think of the hardy Vermonter Chuck Meese. He had his special spot in the forest that he stealthily hiked into each spring during the small window of time that the local morels were mysteriously bursting forth. Once the wicker basket over flowed, Chuck Meese would come over to share his bounty with our family. After a delicious homemade pizza topped with fresh morels, with full tummies and stretching smiles we would wave good-bye as Chuck Meese began his annual 8 hour trek from the far reaches of North East Vermont to the Big Apple. In New York City, he would unveil the sought-after morel mushroom harvest to the big city urbanites at the Green Market in Union Square.
When I think of fiddlehead ferns and morel mushrooms, I think of the wild Sadie Walk and the hardy Chuck Meese. What do you think of?
Fiddlehead Fern and Morel Mushroom Delightful Sauté
Ingredients:
- 2 Cups fresh picked Fiddleheads (if the picking is good don’t be afraid to add more)
- 1 Cup sliced, fresh picked Morel Mushrooms
- 3 Tbsp. Grass-fed butter (or for the vegan version – organic earth balance)
- Himalayan Salt or your favorite holistic salt complete with all-natural elements
- Fresh ground black pepper
Directions:
- Trim and rinse fiddleheads. Remove any brown spots.
- Wipe dirt from morels if there is any.
- Place the sliced mushrooms and fiddleheads into the buttered sauté pan.
- Lightly sauté until mushrooms shrink slightly and the fiddleheads turn bright green. Let the vitality of these two delicious ingredients speak to you.
- Take off heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy this special gift from our bountiful mother earth.
With wild and fresh being the dominant components of these two ingredients, the key is to allow for their full flavors to BE the dish. Less is more here!
Nate Bazydlo is a student of our Wild Edibles program. His passion for plants was sparked by a Urban Herbalist group in Amsterdam, where he started gently foraging for food and medicine all around him. He has started herb school in San Diego. He has a large organic garden, teaches gardening and healthy living opens up his garden to people who want free access to vibrant, organic veggies. He also volunteers at a local organic farm and CSA.
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