Fiddleheads. How to identify and prepare this wild Delicacy.

[@J297WFD]

I went to a B and B in the mountains near Nagano in western Japan this weekend and out they came with a dish of fiddle heads! They were mixed with just a little tuna and mayo they were awesome! I had to let you know because it made me think of this video.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Fiddleheads in Japan. Never would have guessed that. Thanks or sharing that.

[@MegaSusanc]

Thank you for sharing and telling us about the fiddleheads. I heard the other fiddleheads cause cancer. Thank you for all your hard work and time you put into your videos. It's greatly appreciated. GOD BLESS YOU

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thank you for your comment.

[@andyandcallie]

What a great video! I love how you compare, side by side, the different types of ferns. I'm new to Maine and just yesterday, found what I think are fiddleheads. Today, I'm going out there again to see if they really are. Thank you!!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Glad it was helpful!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thank you. I can't wait either. Love them with brook trout.

[@billcallahan2830]

Nothing better to say goodbye to ole man winter and welcome in spring than a good mess of fiddleheads and some trout. Half the fun is finding them. Walking and wading a brooke knowing that every pool offers a chance for a fish. Every bend a chance for fiddleheads. This is Sping Break lol.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Fiddleheads and brook trout are the best part of springtime :-)

[@Johnnyssilverscreen]

I never heard of the Ostrich fern fiddleheads before... They look delicious! I hope you enjoyed them! Your living the dream!!!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Can't wait for the spring harvest :-)

[@johnpaulkoczan7292]

This is the best video I've seen on how to identify ostrich fiddleheads, and also avoid the impostors. Great work!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thank you

[@matthewsmall7607]

We love them steamed with a butter and balsamic vinegar glaze!! My favorite wild food!

[@alanj7306]

Sounds yummy 😋

[@fredford7642]

Thank you for a good and informative video!

[@NfldBiker]

Right on and thanks for this video! Clear and concise and now I know what to look for! I bought a package of store bought Fiddleheads this afternoon and going to cook them up as per your statement. Thanks again!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Glad you enjoyed the vid. I just had some fiddleheads the other day. I cook the whole batch up and the use the leftovers in omletes and other dishes. I love them.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Hello, At my homestead where this vid was shot, I have a drilled well but I have to carry in my drinking water at my cabin. At my other cabin there is a 200+ year old well in the woods that still offers good clean water and I take advantage of it. Best of luck to you with your off grid endeavor. Thanks for the comment.

[@ildiko1vt]

It is also important to mention that we should NOT be picking off every frond on a plant, but only a few. Otherwise the plant will not survive.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Ildiko Mester Very true and good point.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Yes, definitely good eats with trout. That time is coming soon too.

[@allenpew8544]

A Korean friend of mine used to make Kimchi from ferns of which there is an abundance in SE Alaska where I used to live .

[@Brad1237202]

Thanks for sharing JC! I have a ton of ferns in the woods around the house and never knew the difference until now. Next spring I'll make sure they all have the deep "V."

[@thebossoftheswamp]

+Brad1237202 They're good eats :-)

[@thebossoftheswamp]

They have a flavor all their own but it's somewhere between broccoli and asparagus.

[@MichaelCurrie71]

Excellent video thank you so much for differentiating between the 2 different kinds of ferns. Out back of my house I have the a** flavored ones and I need to go look for the ostrich ones

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Glad you enjoyed :-)

[@dianawoods6991]

I'll have to find out if they have the kind of Fern and Western Washington thanks for the info

[@ArcanRedd]

Ash is the key for a good amount of morel growth down here closer to Albany. I don't know how far North you are, but I've only had them every so often in the area where I dump my wet ash I've scraped out of the fire place. I hear they show up soon after forest fires as well. YMMV! Cheers brother.

[@babetan4748]

Thank you for explain clearly,,I been watch alot and try to find someone Identified clearly.

[@michaeljovan9957]

I'm so glad i stumbled upon your videos!! Before you know it? I watched at least four of them! Thank you and Frankie for sharing all your knowledge! I had to subscribe! Thank you !

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Welcome to my channel friend and thanks for subbing.

[@kevlarese]

I can't wait for the season! Here in Western MA it's usually prime for opening day of turkey season. I always bring a plastic bag with me for fiddleheads. Great video.

[@mattcote5858]

Good stuff! Good all around content. Thanks 👍👍

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thanks for watching!

[@macym57]

Thanks for sharing Your knowledge, I appreciate it💞

[@cjdavis825]

well This video helped Me out , cause my flower corner is filled with fern ,I'll have to check mine out soon as the snow leaves, thanks for the vid.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Ferns look alike when emerging from the ground but watch for that deep groove in the stem and brown papery husk. Good luck.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

The ferns you ate were the small ones I showed in my vid. These are easily confused with the ostrich fern because the stem has a SLIGHT V and it has a little papery husk too. But the size gives them away. The ostrich fern is never that small. It emerges from the ground the size of a quarter or larger. The stem is V shaped like celery where the ferns you picked had a very very slight V in the stem that is hard to detect. I just filmed the ones you picked and may do a comparison video.

[@troubadouroutdoors2126]

THANK you!!! Very informative, I almost picked the fuzzy ones on a hike the other day and decided against it, as they didn't look like the ones I've prepared and eaten before, didn't look like they'd be easy to clean or very tasty. I'm so glad to now know how to identify the Ostrich Ferns with some more specific details!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Enjoy :-))

[@jee2001]

Very informational, better then most other videos out there... i saw a bunch of those white fury ones too and thought they are the ones to eat.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thanks for the info. I'll have to remember that.

[@BIZKITJODE]

Thanks JC. I've been wondering if these type grew here, and they do, and now I know how to make sure I have the right ones. Come next spring, I'll try and get out and get some, if the Sasquatches here haven't taken them all. Take care and thanks again for the info. :)

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Look out for the Sasquatch :-o

[@patricelacroix8049]

Hey says the Canadian ! Boss man that Jeep is cool.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

It was a cool jeep for sure. Hey back at ya :-)

[@carolynkid216]

Thank you for this video..and many others. I am spending way too much time catching up on your channel!! I so appreciate learning about the fiddleheads. I have seen them in the woods, but realize now that they were not the edible ones. I look forward to spring so I can forage for the real thing!! Have you ever found 'ramps' in the woods? They are awesome!! I have found only two forested areas where they grow and I keep those locations secret! LOL!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Ramps are the best but I only now of one place to get them.

[@subdawg1331]

again man ohhh man Sir you keep catching me with your amazing videos thanks again..

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I've never found a Morel. Either I don't know what the heck I'm doing or we just don't have them here. Maybe both.

[@NorthernExposure20]

I'm from Boston and this guy sounds like he's a Bostonian. I had no idea the New Brunswick accent was so similar to mine!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I'm from NH and now way from New Brunswick LOL

[@NorthernExposure20]

@@thebossoftheswamp hahaha makes sense!

[@troyroe6021]

Hello, I think I’m late on trying to join in on that batch.

[@bobean48]

Thank you for the lesson on gathering ferns and cooking them,I will be going off grid in a few months so all of the gathering vids are super,,,by the way where do you get your water??

[@RanjeetChangkakoti]

Wild growth in Indo-Asia region. Tropical fern. We stir-fry it with potato cubes and salt, pepper or as sour fish soup/ curry. Delicious 😋

[@Khristian.J]

Good video straight the point

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Thank you

[@dubehigh]

Hey Boss, digging deep in your videos, can you blanch and freeze them for later? Thank you

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I don't think we ever did.

[@tiberias111]

Look for them in flood zones nears rivers in the spring. They tend to group up in areas with a build of fallen leaves from the fall

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Yes I agree. I find the in abundance along river edges.

[@dennisbailey2829]

I cook them about 5 mins after water is boiling,add butter,cider vinegar, and salt and pepper, a great spring tonic!!!

[@michigantrapper3871]

Great video boss

[@carmenortiz5294]

Just came across these videos. I'm waiting for mine to start growing. When I move to this house there were a few in the shade. They started spreading into the sunny area and went crazy. I have transplanted some to other area of my yard and it is hard to get them growing but the ones in sunny areas are doing better. I transplant the ones that start growing just were my neighbor's yard and mine touch. He's not into anything wild. I boil them for a while and then freeze them, they do just fine.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

20" of snow is expected here today so it'll be a while before I'll be picking fiddleheads :-/

[@MaryushkaSkazochnaya]

Thanks a lot! Matteuccia struthiopteris (ostrich fern), Оsmunda cinnamomea (cinnamon fern) & Athýrium fílix-fémina (lady fern) in one place! They are all edible! It's great )))

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I'll settle on the Ostrich :-)

[@Heartwind77]

Way late to this 'party' but I stumbled upon your reply....the Athyrium filix-femina was the smaller fern with the parchment covering all over the "slightly v" stem?

[@TheFishleclair]

Another great Video!!

[@richardmingace6494]

Third fern species i believe is a Christmas Fern brown paper all up and down. General consensus is inedible.

[@carrolloliver2347]

My Husband & I have been picking fiddlehead ferns for many years first in NB & have found them in Ontario where we live. My question is occasionally we find the fiddlehead fern with a white coat on it looks like the fiddle fern are they the same & why the slight white coat?? Thanks

[@thebossoftheswamp]

No they are not edible. Only the brown coat with the V stem are the correct ones.

[@northernlassie4958]

It's almost fiddlehead time...mmmm! :) Really great video on them...best I have seen! Other than marinated and jarred can they be frozen for the year? Thanks JC!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

+Northern Lassie They probably can but they don't last that long around here ;-)

[@carmenortiz5294]

I freeze them after boiling and they are still fine just before next harvest season.

[@twhitcomb4658]

Read about fiddleheads in a book and always wondered what they were. Thanks for showing us. Wonder if they taste similar to asparagus?

[@AJR-zg2py]

It tastes like a cross between asparagus and green beans - so yummy :)

[@JChappee]

Some people say you can eat the fuzzy ones. Is this true?

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I tried them once and don't plan on trying them again :-x

[@kelisurfs247]

Jim, what do they taste like?

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Somewhere between broccoli, spinach and asparagus.

[@Queensryche1]

can these be found in Pennsylvania and if so where about

[@thebossoftheswamp]

zac030101 I think so. I find them near rivers mostly.

[@timothymcswain6235]

what are the benefits?

[@leomarc634]

I live in Ireland I can found that I think it’s the same

[@themushroomlover]

How far North are you finding fiddle heads May 1st?

[@kylehill4887]

just wondering if you guys have ginseng that would make a great vid

[@thebossoftheswamp]

I'm not sure if it grows around here. It would make a nice vid though.

[@gregadams6105]

Is this maine

[@pemachoedon9272]

You should fry them with onions and garlic. It will taste more delicious than boiling them.

[@hondaatver]

I can taste them now.

[@stevemac8956]

4:43 Poison ivy

[@gregsmith7959]

THANKS FOR THIS!! YOU SAVED ME FROM EATING ASS!

[@adamkellett5252]

i love fiddleheads i think you invite me over for some.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

LOL. As long as they have that deep grooved stem and the papery husk you should be fine. Stay away from those stinky ass ones hahahaha

[@jORDANFX4U]

Thank you Sir for removing all the guess work on this topic!!!!

[@thebossoftheswamp]

You're welcome.

[@judimus2324]

Dam.... dam and double dam. This is the last of your videos to watch. Now what? : )

[@snyper069]

LOL! Exactly what does ass taste like? Great vid and thank you very much.

[@jessicahope9744]

Omg, NEVER, NEVER, NEVER pick Trillium flowers. It kills the entire plant and they are very slow growing so replacing takes years .

[@garywilliam7477]

I subscribed the moment you said they taste like ass.

[@thebossoftheswamp]

LOL. Welcome to my channel.

[@phattdawgtrapping3640]

love fiddleheads ....................phattdawg

[@NYCamper62]

Definatly want to try these, seen a bunch at camp right around when Turkey season and could swear they had the orange color husk. But I ignored them. Not this spring, just hope they don't turn out to be the @ss type. ~)

[@321812513]

ohhh nooooo ahaha, in ontario picking trilliums is illegal

[@thebossoftheswamp]

LOL... there's good ass and bad ass. You should know that by now LMAO...

[@Jordonharrison]

Thanks for the info! Love the channel! I just started one. If you want check it out! No pro just having fun

[@thebossoftheswamp]

Will do. Good luck with your channel.

[@Jordonharrison]

Thanks for the encouragement cheers!:)

[@Muskokan1]

omg a Trillium :(

[@pradeep183]

Brent T he killed it!

[@rottweilerman69]

i eat em raw