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    Home » Pickles, Preserves, Etc

    Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns

    Published: May 23, 2013 Modified: Jan 22, 2023 by Alan Bergo This post may contain affiliate links 47 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    Yes, you can pickle fiddlehead ferns and keep them crunchy. The technique requires a little patience and attention to detail. Once you try my pickled fiddlehead recipe you'll never go back. For a reference, check out the comments and reviews.

    Crunchy pickled fiddlehead fern recipe

    As the fiddlehead ferns are starting to dwindle in our areas in Minnesota, facing a commercial fridge packed full of them means I need to work quickly to preserve some for the coming months.

    When I pick a large amount of something, I usually set aside a nice amount to preserve, whether it be by canning, freezing, pickling, salting, brining, drying, or fermenting.

    Edible ostrich fiddlehead ferns from Minnesota
    Fiddles are at they're best young and tight.

    There are plenty of recipes for pickled fiddleheads out there, but this one is different.

    A common problem with pickling green vegetables is that they tend to get mushy from the canning process.

    Asparagus suffers from this, and gets stringy and unappealing, especially if the spears are packed into a jar and bent, fiddleheads pose the same problem.

    Edible ostrich fiddlehead ferns from wisconsin
    You'll probably have fiddleheads with varying lengths of stem. I like to trim them down to an inch or two for pickles.

    You want to pickle fiddles to preserve your bounty, but they can be tricky to execute.

    A couple minutes too long in water bath canner, or a few too many ingredients in the pickle liquid can ruin a whole batch, and cost you a lot of time.

    How to keep the crunch 

    The kicker too is that with all the pickle recipes out there, its hard to know which one is the best.

    Of all the things I hear people complain about when talking about recipes for pickled fiddleheads, what seems to stand out is how to keep them crunchy.

    I've made hundreds of different types of pickles, pickling liquids, fermented pickles, etc. There is a special trick to keeping them crunchy. You may be skeptical at first, but it works.

    Basically, pickling is a method of preserving things in a liquid with a low ph.

    The heat of the water bath canner can be thought of as over-kill, since bacteria wouldn't be able to live in liquid with a ph under 4.6 anyway.

    Now I'm not saying that you should stop using a water bath canner for your pickles, I'm just saying keep an open mind for a moment.

    Crunchy ostrich fern fiddlehead pickles
    Those are fiddleheads in that jar. But why is it upside down? And how did you get the liquid so clear? Read on to find out.

    My secret:the upside down canning hack

    A while ago my friend showed me a technique that he uses for pickled asparagus at home. I don't often like to say that I use shortcuts, but this one actually works.

    He puts boiling pickle liquid into the jars and fills them all the way to the top, that's right: all the way. Then he turns the jars upside down and leaves them over night to cool.

    What happens is that the jars form a hermetic seal just like if you were to water bath process them. The pressure and heat of the boiling water is what does the trick.

    Since the jars haven't been sterilized by boiling in the water bath though, you need to fill them to the very top of the jar, which you wouldn't ordinarily be able to do since the pressure could make them explode in the water bath.

    Disclosure/disclaimer

    I have to mention that, while the health department doesn't recommend storing pickles that are hot-packed like this, I have friends that have preserved 50+ pounds of fiddleheads using this recipe, and we even used to sell them in the market at one restaurant I worked at.

    Just follow the directions, and if your jars don't seal, keep them in the fridge. I make these pickles every year. 

    Fridge Pickles

    If you don't want to keep your fiddlehead pickles at room temp in the pantry, you can always just blanch them, then cover with cold pickle liquid and pack them in the fridge.

    Kept in the fridge the fiddle pickles will stay extra, crisp-just make sure they're covered with pickling liquid completely.

    Crunchy pickled ostrich fern fiddleheads recipe

    Crunchy pickled ostrich fern fiddleheads in a jar.
    Print Recipe
    4.07 from 33 votes

    Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns

    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 Time30 mins
    Cook Time5 mins
    Total Time35 mins
    Course: Snack
    Cuisine: American
    Keyword: Fiddlehead ferns, Fiddlehead pickles
    Servings: 24 Servings
    Calories: 17kcal
    Author: Alan Bergo
    Cost: 5

    Equipment

    • 4 Pint mason jars with lids wide mouth
    • 1 water bath canner

    Ingredients

    • 2-2.5 lbs fresh fiddlehead ferns tightly coiled and firm
    • 2 cups rice wine vinegar *see note
    • 4 cups water
    • 2 tablespoon salt
    • 4-5 small cloves of garlic lightly crushed
    • 1-2 sprigs of fresh dill or your favorite herb per jar
    • A 1inch peel of lemon zest for each jar
    • 1.5 gallons water for blanching the ferns

    Instructions

    Pickle liquid

    • 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.

    Blanch the fiddles

    • 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.

    Packing the jars

    • 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.

    Cooling, sealing and storing

    • 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.

    Video

    Notes

    Make your own seasoning blends

    The seasonings are optional here, all that really matters is the water and vinegar, note there is no sugar in the recipe, either. 

    Vinegars

    Rice wine vinegar will have the mildest flavor and acidity. You can also use apple cider, white, or white wine/champagne vinegar which are more acidic. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 17kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 596mg | Potassium: 140mg | Sugar: 0.01g | Vitamin A: 1367IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 22mg | Iron: 1mg

    More 

    Fiddlehead Ferns: Identifying, Harvesting and Cooking

    Crunchy pickled ostrich fern fiddleheads recipe
    « Morels "A la Normande" With Black Spring Truffle.
    Chimichurri with Bee Balm and Ramp Leaves »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kim Rumbolt

      May 18, 2014 at 11:24 am

      Love to have more pickeling res

      Reply
    2. Claudia Marieb

      May 05, 2015 at 9:02 pm

      Great post - this sounds straightforward and easy.
      Almost too much. Yes, I am a little unsettled about not using the hotwater bath canning process. But I'd love to get away with not doing it if I can and that's why your recipe jumped out at me.
      So, my question is: how long have you kept pickles canned with your technique? E.g. can they last for months/years on a shelf like goods canned with the normal hotwater bath canning process?
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Claudia

        June 18, 2017 at 5:25 pm

        Follow-up: I made these exactly as written. They are delicious and a big potluck hit. I'm glad I got over my hesitancy about not using a hot water bath. I will pickle them this way forever now. Thank you!

        Reply
        • Jacqueline G Thompson

          May 06, 2019 at 9:09 pm

          Good to know. What shelf life do you give them?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 06, 2019 at 9:14 pm

            They're a classic pickle PH under 4.2, so, when sealed, as long as any other pickle you'd make. I've kept them in the fridge for over a year but they never last that long. In a pantry you'll be fine until the next season, and, technically, longer than that.

            Reply
    3. Tam

      May 13, 2015 at 12:34 am

      absolutely love this recipe remarkable flavour

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 23, 2015 at 8:16 am

        Remember you can change up the flavorings any way you like. Happy hunting.

        Reply
    4. Eric

      January 27, 2016 at 9:12 am

      how long will they keep for? I would like to try it. If you have enough vinegar they should keep a very long time. Do you still stir the bubbles out? Why do you turn jar upside down?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        February 01, 2016 at 10:48 am

        They will keep for a long time, like other pickles. You should indeed stir bubbles out. The jars are turned upside down after pouring the boiling liquid over them to mimic the pressure of a water bath canner, they will form the same hermetic seal, but with a fraction of the cooking time, which preserves the texture of the fiddleheads.

        Reply
    5. Sandra

      May 12, 2016 at 9:00 pm

      I understood that fiddleheads had to be thoroughly cooked before eating. Therefore, only a quick dip in the boiling water doesn't sound sufficient. I've always turned my jars over no matter what type they are.

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 17, 2016 at 9:23 pm

        Hi Sandra, you're totally right that fiddleheads need thorough cooking. The pickling process is also a type of "cooking". After their blanching in the boiling water, and then preservation in the pickling liquid, there is absolutely nothing to fear, granted you have the right species. I've served these to hundreds of customers.

        Reply
        • Jess Anderson

          May 27, 2016 at 3:07 pm

          Alan I love this recipe! I used to forage fiddleheads with my gramps and a quick saute was all we did. Now that all the health codes say we should steam or boil them to death, I miss the crunch, so THANK YOU so much for this idea!

          I don't know enough about pickling to know whether a bread and butter (sweet) version would also work? Like would there be enough vinegar, etc to kill the bacteria and whatnot if I did a brine with sugar, vinegar, salt, and some mustard seed, tumeric and the like? I'd LOVE to try but I'm nervous about whether this upside down pickling idea would work.

          Reply
    6. Alina

      May 25, 2016 at 5:55 am

      I made a batch the other night and was wondering how long before I can open up a jar? 🙂

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 03, 2016 at 11:44 pm

        If you must, I'd wait at least a week, flavors meld and change with time.

        Reply
    7. Cassandra Parisien

      May 26, 2016 at 7:53 pm

      How long am i expected to wait until i can enjoy them? 🙂

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 03, 2016 at 11:43 pm

        If you really must, a week or so.

        Reply
    8. Judith

      June 16, 2016 at 8:00 am

      Was very pleased with the results--nice and crisp and not too much vinegar so a pleasant flavour. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        August 05, 2016 at 4:55 pm

        Glad you liked them, they're a favorite around here.

        Reply
        • eric tischler

          May 08, 2018 at 5:30 pm

          Made them last year, and over 2 quarts this year. I like them with breaded fish. Thanks

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 09, 2018 at 1:41 pm

            Glad you like them, it's one thing to dump some hot vinegar on something, it's another thing to think about taste and texture.

            Reply
    9. mark boudreault

      May 12, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      So there’s no need to refrigerate them after processing them ?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 14, 2018 at 10:08 am

        Correct. As long as they're made the seal, you're good.

        Reply
        • eric tischler

          July 06, 2018 at 11:47 am

          will this work for chanterelles?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            July 07, 2018 at 12:34 am

            Refer to my recipe for pickled hen of the woods. I don't blanch chanterelles before pickling. You could pickle chanterelles like this and turn the jar upside-down to get the hermetic seal, if that's what you're asking.

            Reply
    10. Donna Keniston

      May 12, 2020 at 7:29 pm

      5 stars
      I love the idea of turning the jars upside-down and not using the water bath method, as I know fiddleheads will get all mushy quick. I will be doing this recipe for sure tomorrow. My question is is it possible to can fiddleheads without the vinegar & spices, for the finicky kids to eat?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 13, 2020 at 4:40 pm

        As in pressure canning? Sure but they're going to be mush.

        Reply
    11. AngelA

      May 12, 2020 at 8:40 pm

      I just followed your recipe last night. So now I wait. The suspense of flavour is killing me.,I hope they are delicious. 🙂

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 13, 2020 at 4:39 pm

        Open them in a day or two and try some. Remember they're not just for eating cold out of the jar--I don't really eat things like that. Add them to salads and things, or warm them up and put them on stuff. Toss them with fresh herbs as a garnish to a meal. Be creative.

        Reply
    12. Daniel

      May 21, 2020 at 8:47 am

      Hey Alan,

      Really appreciate all the amazing work your doing. I have had great success with your recipes thus far! So what i am curious about is that all the recipes I have looked at for cooking and/or preserving fiddleheads talks about a minimum of 5 minutes cook time. The quick blanch then in this recipe would suggest that they would be undercooked. I already pickled about 10 pint using your recipe and I have full faith in it, however I just am curious as to your thoughts on this. Part of my concern is i got a rather bad case of food poisoning from fiddleheads that were way undercooked. Does the pickling process with vinegar continue to sortof "cook them" so to say?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 21, 2020 at 9:31 am

        Hi Daniel. The wording on the fiddleheads and the guidelines are exactly as they should be. Some people say five minutes, some people say 10, some people say boil them twice--all of that, to me, is hokey folk wisdom. I can tell you that I've served fiddles preserved exactly like this, held for over a year in a cooler (shelf is fine too) and never, not a single time, have I had any issues, aftering serving them to hundreds of individual guests. Yes, the fiddles are only cooked in water for a few minutes--just long enough so that they don't discolor after cooling. But, remember that in order to make the jars seal you need more heat--boiling pickle liquid, and that boiling, along with the low pH provided by the pickle liquid, which again, is a preservative capable of denaturing things in itself, cooks the fiddle heads a second time, using the residual heat as the jar slowly cools. So, saying thinking that the fiddleheads are only cooked for the amount of blanching time I recommend is not exactly right. The only thing to worry about with fiddleheads that I know of, is that you could get sick from eating a lot raw (like a lot of things, morels for example are toxic raw). Some people have allergies, etc, but individual sensitivities are outside the scope of your question, and honestly, fiddleheads are pretty inert as far as edibles go. Proceed with confidence.

        Reply
    13. Divinity

      April 29, 2022 at 12:28 am

      Hello, I am making these tonight so I hope this gets answered soon but I'm really confused about something. Are you using the water you used to blanch and adding vinegar and making that the pickling brine??

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        April 29, 2022 at 12:35 am

        Hey there. The recipe reads pretty clear, but I’ll try to clarify it here. There’s two separate waters called for: 1.5 gal for blanching, which you discard, and the 4 cups for making the pickle liquid. Fiddlehead blanching liquid looks like swamp water and shouldn’t be consumed. Hope that helps.

        Reply
    14. Bonnie

      May 06, 2022 at 12:54 pm

      I made your fiddlehead recipe this morning but was confused about the recipe saying in step 1 to bring the 4 cups of water, salt, lemon zest, garlic and thyme to a boil, 5 mins. then add the vinegar. Then in step 5 it says to pack a pint jar full of fiddleheads, placing a piece of lemon zest, a clove of garlic, and thyme in each jar yet only calls for 4-5 garlics, 1-2 fresh dill a 1 " lemon zest in each jar. So I panicked and dumped out step 1 and just boiled the water (forgot the salt..ugh) and added the vinegar as directed and I did the step 5 as said. Was I suppose to do the actual step 1 with all the ingredients and then add those again on step 5. I'm a first time canner so HELP!!!

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 06, 2022 at 1:21 pm

        Hi Bonnie, if you're a first time canner I can see how that would be confusing. I adjusted the recipe so it reads more clearly. Just boil the water and salt together, add the vinegar and reserve, put the warm fiddleheads in the jar, along with the seasonings, pour over the pickle liquid, seal, and proceed.

        Reply
        • Bonnie

          May 07, 2022 at 8:04 am

          So should I toss the ones I did yesterday, because I did cool off the fiddleheads and removed excess water before packing them in with my other ingredients and then the hot water and vinegar. Again I did forget the salt . Will that make a difference, more importantly, are the ones I did put up safe to eat?

          Reply
          • Alan Bergo

            May 07, 2022 at 8:07 am

            So, without the salt, they're safe to eat, but they're not going to taste right-chalk it up to a learning experience. Pickling is an art form, and it takes time to get comfortable with the process. I'm here if you have any follow-up questions.

            Reply
    15. Lynn

      May 20, 2022 at 9:13 am

      Can you do this same recipe with asparagus too?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        May 20, 2022 at 10:26 pm

        You can, and the chef that taught me does it to this day. Just remember to fill the jars to the brim.

        Reply
    16. Nancy Cohen

      June 12, 2022 at 7:28 pm

      A friend brought store bought fiddleheads to a picnic, to everyone's bewilderment (many people didn't even know what fiddleheads were). Long story short, it wasn't worth the conversation starter, because anyone who ate fiddleheads in our social group all got food poisoning 🙁 There isn't enough awareness out there about the naturally occurring toxicity of fiddleheads.

      Will pickling fiddleheads remove the toxin?

      Reply
      • Alan Bergo

        June 12, 2022 at 7:52 pm

        Nancy, it's not as simple as "naturally occurring toxicity". I have no idea what species of fern your friend had, if they were cooked at all, or how, and other important information that can help explain what happened. Read this article, then comment in that post as it's more relevant than this one: https://foragerchef.com/how-to-identify-and-cook-fiddlehead-ferns/

        Reply

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    Chef Alan Bergo

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