Pickled fiddlehead ferns that stay crunchy. Perfect for adding to sandwiches or enjoying where you'd use pickles. Yield: 4 pint jars, I like the Ball wide-mouth style
Prep time: PT30M
Cook time: PT5M
Total time: PT35M
4.13 stars (41 reviews)
Fiddlehead ferns, Fiddlehead pickles
- Bring the 4 cups water and salt to a boil, then remove from the heat and add the vinegar. This is your pickling liquid-reserve it until needed.
- Bring the 1.5 gallons of water to a rolling boil. Add the fiddlehead ferns to the pot, then cook for exactly 1.5 minutes (90 seconds) covering the pot to increase the heat, stirring the fiddles occasionally to ensure even blanching. Immediately remove the fiddleheads to drain and stop their cooking.
- Pack pint jars full of the still-hot fiddleheads, placing a piece of lemon zest, a clove of garlic, and a sprig or two of thyme in each jar (or whatever flavorings you're using).
- Reheat the pickle liquid to rolling boil in small pot and pour into the jars, covering all of the fiddleheads, up to the very top of the jar. Screw on the lids and and turn the jars upside down. Leave the jars to cool, for a few hours like this.
- After the jars are completely cool, inspect the jars, you should find they've formed seals, just as if you were to use a water bath canner, but without the excess heat and time that would make them soft. Voila! Crisp pickled fiddleheads.
- Look over the jars carefully to make sure they've all formed seals. Refrigerate any that haven't sealed.