Frozen Fiddleheads To Enjoy All Year Long!
Fiddleheads have a ridiculously short season! As a result many people like to preserve them so they can enjoy them all year long instead of just a few short weeks in spring. By far the best way to preserve them is by freezing. It's can be a time consuming process if you have a lot of them to freeze, but it's really not that hard. I usually freeze around 25-30 lbs each spring. If you'd like to try pickling them then head over to this post for some great pickled fiddlehead recipes.
- Clean them your fiddleheads thoroughly! Remove the ends and any scales. Fiddleheads are pretty dirty so rinse them a few times until you've them good and clean.
- Blanch a small amount of fiddleheads at a time for two minutes in 4-6 cups of water. As a reminder the blanch time starts when the water comes to a rolling boil after adding the produce.
- Cool in a ice bath immediately after blanching (half ice water mixture)
- Dry thoroughly and place into moisture and vapor proof containers such as resealable plastic bags. Do not over fill bags.
- Place container in freezer.
- To use frozen fiddleheads thaw in refrigerator or cold water and follow cooking direction outlined above before serving. Fiddleheads can be thawed in a microwave if for immediate consumption.
