Cook them thoroughly and drain the water. I've been eating them for years and maybe I've been lucky to this point. Last night we had some more -- same plants, picked from next to our house -- just a new season. Little water was used this time and they were essentially just steamed for a few minutes. I may have drank some of the water, too. I spent last night alternately hugging and sitting on the toilet. I've recovered well since then but it was not a pleasant experience.

Extension service documents like the one you reference are among the most reliable home food preservation sources. All those pickling recipes look fine with one exception and that is the one for mustard pickle. The other recipes rely upon 100% vinegar brine or a very high vinegar-water ratio (the half-gallon to 2 cups recipe) so I personally would not be concerned about those. There are a few tested mustard pickle recipes that are flour-thickened that are still extant, including one from Ball, but generally they're being phased out in favor of ClearJel. Additonally, I don't know about fiddleheads in that recipe. Whatever pickle recipe you use, I'd recommend you make a very small test-batch to see how the texture holds up. Fiddleheads are so delicate I'm not sure anything other than freezing is going to yield acceptable results. The pickling solution will be too sharp without aging on the shelf, but it will give you a chance to see how firm the finished product is. An apple cider vinegar (5% strength) will provide a softer finish than a distilled vinegar. The brine will be darker but the flavor may be better. The most recent editions of the Ball publications are among the most reliable sources as is the NCHFP (see link). Extensions by state also often post their own individual documents on local products. I see a search of the NCHFP state extension services does link to the Maine fiddlehead page, which is an indication the NCHFP regards it as a reliable source. Carol Here is a link that might be useful: NCHFP Home Page

looks like a great site. I checked it out briefly after reading your post. I am in clark county and many of the same plants would qualify for my climate. I will be checking this site out more in the near future. Thank you for sharing!

Tricia - I have fiddleheads at the bottom of my hill. I have not checked on them this year because the snow just melted Friday. I moved a clump of 4 (ostrich ferns) from my Mom's farm before she sold it. They multiply like crazy and last year I had at least a couple dozen. Maybe I have another treat in my near future! :-) Unless we get that 4" of snow they say is coming our way. Upper 70's today - winter later in the week. I've got both flip flops and boots at the door. Jim, your post gave me a smile. Goes to show the MOREL of the story - there is no room for strife on a "yay - it's spring!" thread. Even a simple discussion can sometimes MUSHROOM into a big fight. [ pun intended :-) ] My Dad had so many morels on his property that he would dry them and give them away to his co-workers at the airline and the neighbors. I like them as a treat - on occasion. My dad could eat them everyday and often did as he had a never ending supply of dried morels on hand. Dcarch - too bad I did not know you 6 years ago when my Mom still owned the property! You'd be getting boxes of Morels! Teresa This post was edited by teresa_mn on Sun, Apr 28, 13 at 16:00