cooking thread...

[akaShag]

59 minutes ago, Spiel said:

Mine......

 

LOTS of ham, attaboy!!!

Doug

[Spiel]

14 hours ago, akaShag said:

LOTS of ham, attaboy!!!

Doug

Oh ya, and it's Black Forest too....Yum, Yum. 

[Spiel]

Oh Baby........

Six dozen Pickled Eggs and two liters of Pickled Spanish Onions is done!
Has it been 2 weeks yet  .... 

 

[CrowMan]

Fresh Trout and Fiddleheads..

Mother's Nature's spring gift..

[akaShag]

My usual spot for fiddleheads has been all dug up 😢  Might have to BUY them!!!

[smitty55]

1 hour ago, akaShag said:

My usual spot for fiddleheads has been all dug up 😢  Might have to BUY them!!!

Bummer. I'm going for a pick up the road tomorrow. The ferns along my foundation plantings are starting to come up

[smitty55]

23 hours ago, smitty55 said:

Bummer. I'm going for a pick up the road tomorrow. The ferns along my foundation plantings are starting to come up

So I got 2 1/2 lbs this afternoon, should get another pick there in a few days and I have another real good spot that I'll be checking out on Sunday. Venison loin steaks are marinating for tomorrows dinner along with the fiddleheads and some home made perogies I picked up last fall at a Ukrainian festival. May even manage to pick some young leeks.

 

Edited May 2 by smitty55

[smitty55]

Sure do love spring foraging. Got three picks of fiddleheads in all told. Took my daughter out on May 4 to my best spot and we got  over 6lbs. I went back there myself on the 6th and nailed it good across the road where I have permission and got just over 8 lb in an hours picking. I've shared my success with a couple of neighbours, the coordinator of the community garden I just joined and an employee of the local CTC who I recently met and we bartered for some chaga he had plus I'm going to give him some leeks too. I gave them all very specific instructions on how to clean and cook the fiddeheads and all the reports I got were delicious. Leeks are just starting to swell now so I've only been picking 5 to 10 daily beside the house for now, I figure in a week I'll be able to get a good pick in and then another week or so after that I'll get my heavy picking done just as the leaves start to turn yellow when they're at max size and easiest picking. I have permission up the road where they grow real heavy. Right now they are super tender and still mild tasting, I'm eating them like a green onion by dipping them in salt. They're a great spring tonic.

First pic is the leeks just up on April 15, second pic is today's small harvest.

[akaShag]

You're a foraging machine, smitty!!!!  By the time I was going to a buddy's fiddlehead spot, they were all uncurled, so zero fiddleheads for me this spring.  Will have to see about ramps.  And the turkeys are not cooperating either!

Doug

[CrowMan]

16 hours ago, smitty55 said:

Sure do love spring foraging. Got three picks of fiddleheads in all told. Took my daughter out on May 4 to my best spot and we got  over 6lbs. I went back there myself on the 6th and nailed it good across the road where I have permission and got just over 8 lb in an hours picking. I've shared my success with a couple of neighbours, the coordinator of the community garden I just joined and an employee of the local CTC who I recently met and we bartered for some chaga he had plus I'm going to give him some leeks too. I gave them all very specific instructions on how to clean and cook the fiddeheads and all the reports I got were delicious. Leeks are just starting to swell now so I've only been picking 5 to 10 daily beside the house for now, I figure in a week I'll be able to get a good pick in and then another week or so after that I'll get my heavy picking done just as the leaves start to turn yellow when they're at max size and easiest picking. I have permission up the road where they grow real heavy. Right now they are super tender and still mild tasting, I'm eating them like a green onion by dipping them in salt. They're a great spring tonic.

First pic is the leeks just up on April 15, second pic is today's small harvest.

Hey Smitty..how are you preserving your Fiddleheads ? In years past, I've always just eaten them fresh, but this spring I'm trying to freeze some for meals later in the year.

I blanched them for exactly 2 minutes in boiling salted water, then plunged into an ice water bath for 5 minutes. I then laid them individually on a cookie sheet and then into the freezer for a few hours until they're frozen little pucks. From there into freezer bags (or vacuum pack). I assume to eat them from frozen ...just quickly steam without thawing so they don't get too mushy ? Or maybe just a quick saute in butter from frozen ? Or do you thaw first before cooking ?

I did several batches this way, so fingers crossed. 

Like I said, have never frozen them before so just looking for any tips.

Edited Saturday at 07:26 PM by CrowMan

[akaShag]

smitty will probably reply also, but I have done what you did:  blanch, ice water bath, dry on paper towel, froze on cookie sheets, and vac sealed.  To reheat them I thawed them in the fridge then yes, sauteed them in a bit of butter with seasoning salt and garlic.  Never tried to cook from frozen, unless my memory is wrong on that.

When I visit you, I will bring some smoked venison summer sausage and can help you enjoy a feed of those fiddleheads!  😉

Doug

[CrowMan]

48 minutes ago, akaShag said:

smitty will probably reply also, but I have done what you did:  blanch, ice water bath, dry on paper towel, froze on cookie sheets, and vac sealed.  To reheat them I thawed them in the fridge then yes, sauteed them in a bit of butter with seasoning salt and garlic.  Never tried to cook from frozen, unless my memory is wrong on that.

When I visit you, I will bring some smoked venison summer sausage and can help you enjoy a feed of those fiddleheads!  😉

Doug

Thanks for the info, Doug.

I think greens for sausage is a fair deal ! If we're lucky, I might also have some Morels. Nothing in my usual spots yet, but everything's a little late this year.

 

[akaShag]

PS)  I just re-read your post where you blanched them for two minutes.  I seem to recall they needed longer than that...........like blanching corn on the cob or something, more like six minutes maybe.  Hopefully smitty will chime in here.

Doug

[smitty55]

5 hours ago, akaShag said:

PS)  I just re-read your post where you blanched them for two minutes.  I seem to recall they needed longer than that...........like blanching corn on the cob or something, more like six minutes maybe.  Hopefully smitty will chime in here.

Doug

I would never blanch them for 6 minutes Doug, they would be fully cooked at that point. I agree with Crowman, a two minute blanch followed by rinse and ice bath and then dried and frozen. Don't think it would make much difference to be cooked from thawed or still frozen except for the time in the pan. Thing is they never turn out as good once frozen, they almost always tend to start to unravel and get soft so you have to be real careful not to cook them too long. They actually keep real good in the fridge as picked until later into the summer then they start to go black so I try and keep most of them in the fridge. I always use to freeze them in 1 cup portions for my Wild Country Soup but it's real hard to keep them from unravelling so they don't spend much time in the soup like normal from fresh. I also chop and freeze the leeks for making soup in the winter and I tend to use asparagus instead of fiddleheads anymore as you can buy them fresh all year.
As for my normal process, after cleaning it's a two minute boil and the water turns reddish brown real quick. Then drain and rinse and boil again for 1 minute and then drain the light brown water again before a 5 minute saute in garlic butter and they're still firm but tender. That's what I tell everyone to do who is new at it, once you see how dark that water gets you'll never want to just steam them again and ingest all that crap. It's no wonder some people say they have tummy issues, they're the ones that just steam them.
The one woman I gave some to had only ever tried them once before in a restaurant and didn't care for them. The ones I gave her were picked that day and she followed my instructions and loved them. Same with one of the neighbours I gave some too, they are vegetarians and had never tried them before but were happy to try and add a new foraged product to their list of foods. Lori made it a point to call me back and say they had followed my instructions and the whole family loved them.
If any of you get some leeks I highly recommend you make it a point to try that soup, I've posted here in the past but could do it again. I make a lot of soups and this one rates near the top for sure.
Cheers

[CrowMan]

8 hours ago, smitty55 said:

I would never blanch them for 6 minutes Doug, they would be fully cooked at that point. I agree with Crowman, a two minute blanch followed by rinse and ice bath and then dried and frozen. Don't think it would make much difference to be cooked from thawed or still frozen except for the time in the pan. Thing is they never turn out as good once frozen, they almost always tend to start to unravel and get soft so you have to be real careful not to cook them too long. They actually keep real good in the fridge as picked until later into the summer then they start to go black so I try and keep most of them in the fridge. I always use to freeze them in 1 cup portions for my Wild Country Soup but it's real hard to keep them from unravelling so they don't spend much time in the soup like normal from fresh. I also chop and freeze the leeks for making soup in the winter and I tend to use asparagus instead of fiddleheads anymore as you can buy them fresh all year.
As for my normal process, after cleaning it's a two minute boil and the water turns reddish brown real quick. Then drain and rinse and boil again for 1 minute and then drain the light brown water again before a 5 minute saute in garlic butter and they're still firm but tender. That's what I tell everyone to do who is new at it, once you see how dark that water gets you'll never want to just steam them again and ingest all that crap. It's no wonder some people say they have tummy issues, they're the ones that just steam them.
The one woman I gave some to had only ever tried them once before in a restaurant and didn't care for them. The ones I gave her were picked that day and she followed my instructions and loved them. Same with one of the neighbours I gave some too, they are vegetarians and had never tried them before but were happy to try and add a new foraged product to their list of foods. Lori made it a point to call me back and say they had followed my instructions and the whole family loved them.
If any of you get some leeks I highly recommend you make it a point to try that soup, I've posted here in the past but could do it again. I make a lot of soups and this one rates near the top for sure.
Cheers

Thanks Smitty, appreciate the info.

When you store them fresh in the fridge... is that in a bowl of water ? That's what I usually do, but only because that's how I see them when grocery stores sell them.

Edited Sunday at 12:00 PM by CrowMan

[smitty55]

3 hours ago, CrowMan said:

Thanks Smitty, appreciate the info.

When you store them fresh in the fridge... is that in a bowl of water ? That's what I usually do, but only because that's how I see them when grocery stores sell them.

Actually I just leave them in the plastic grocery bag as picked and it seems to work pretty well. Keeps humidity levels up enough to keep them from drying out but not so damp that they rot. I do the same thing with leeks too. I've never seen them in water in grocery stores, just in bulk piles in the refrigerated area of the produce section.

[CrowMan]

9 minutes ago, smitty55 said:

Actually I just leave them in the plastic grocery bag as picked and it seems to work pretty well. Keeps humidity levels up enough to keep them from drying out but not so damp that they rot. I do the same thing with leeks too. I've never seen them in water in grocery stores, just in bulk piles in the refrigerated area of the produce section.

We shop at different different grocery stores I guess. It seems to be the recommended method by the folks who market them too.. I found storing them in plastic can make them "slimy"...even when I pick 'em I use a paper bag or basket to keep them crisp.

 

[smitty55]

10 hours ago, CrowMan said:

We shop at different different grocery stores I guess. It seems to be the recommended method by the folks who market them too.. I found storing them in plastic can make them "slimy"...even when I pick 'em I use a paper bag or basket to keep them crisp.

 

Never had them go slimy in the bag as it's not tightly sealed and they can still breath. They're not usually wet when I pick them so things stay humid in the bag but never wet. If anything sometimes they dry out. I clean the husk off outside by using a coarse mesh metal shelf from a cafeteria, it works well and I would never want all the husk going down my drain into my septic tank. I also get way longer than a month out of them. I also never clean them before using them. I have three bags in the downstairs fridge with around 13lb total. It's always worked for me that way so that's what I keep doing.

[smitty55]

So I just looked up that site you posted and for me they couldn't be more wrong about fiddleheads. First they say you shouldn't pick them yourself, well duh I think I know what an ostrich fern look like, it's pretty hard to mistake them for anything else. But of course they want to sell them lol. I also know how to pick them sustainably, I never take more than 3 or rarely four at most out of any clump and they always grow back fine. They do have one thing right and that's to always cook them before eating. Then they say to boil for 15 minutes or steam for 10-12 minutes, both of which are way too long. The also recommend steaming which is the worst thing to do as all those contaminants that turn the water brown when boiling stay in them. So soon as I saw them recommend steaming it tells me they don't know what they're talking about. Just saying, I've been picking and eating them almost every year since the mid 70's.

https://montreal.lufa.com/en/blog/articles/fiddleheads-101

[Spiel]

Mmmmm, Scallops. Seasoned then seared in Tallow and served on a bed of Linguine tossed in fresh Lime, Ghee, Capers and fresh cracked Peppercorns.
Simple and delicious! 

 

 

 

[akaShag]

10 hours ago, smitty55 said:

a coarse mesh metal shelf from a cafeteria,

What is this?  I have rinsed off that brown papery husk with running water.  And for sure, I have a fine=mesh sieve in the drain stopper to keep that stuff from going down the drain!  But of course the fiddleheads get thoroughly soaked in the process.

[akaShag]

2 hours ago, Spiel said:

Mmmmm, Scallops. Seasoned and seared in Tallow and served on a bed of Linguine tossed in fresh Lime, Ghee, Capers and fresh cracked Peppercorns.
Simple and delicious! 

 

 

 

Awesome!  Where did you get those huge scallops?

Doug

[Spiel]

42 minutes ago, akaShag said:

Awesome!  Where did you get those huge scallops?

Doug

Picked up a couple packs a week or so back at my local Metro Doug.

They were delicious, definitely going to see if I can get a few more packs. 

 

[akaShag]

I'm going trawling for scallops..........at the Metro!  Thanks!  😉

Doug

[smitty55]

3 hours ago, akaShag said:

What is this?  I have rinsed off that brown papery husk with running water.  And for sure, I have a fine=mesh sieve in the drain stopper to keep that stuff from going down the drain!  But of course the fiddleheads get thoroughly soaked in the process.

Here's that mesh shelf I mentioned, it's great for rubbing the husk off the fiddleheads and keeping things dry. I also use it for washing off leeks with the hose. Plus it's a great rock/gravel screen for when I'm making up new garden beds. I also use the ferns for foundation plantings, I have 30ft at the east side of the house and over that at the back north side along with scattered ferns around the property. Lots of shade here with all the trees.