Freeze Your Fiddleheads For Year Round Deliciousness!

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.

1. 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. 
2. 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.
3. Cool in a ice bath immediately after blanching (half ice water mixture)
4. Dry thoroughly and place into moisture and vapor proof containers such as resealable plastic bags. Do not over fill bags.
5. Place container in freezer.
6. 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.