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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Fiddlehead Ferns
Equipment
- 4 Pint mason jars with lids wide mouth
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
More
Fiddlehead Ferns: Identifying, Harvesting and Cooking
Ina
This is the normal way we pickle in Norway - water bathing is pretty much unheard of here, and this method generally works well! I am very however, very sceptical of the short heating of the fiddleheads though, and will not be using this recipe for this reason. I saw your comment on "never being poisoned for years" - well sure, that's great - but that's not the only reason you have to heat fiddleheads properly. Fiddleheads contain a compound called thiaminase, which can break down thiamine (vitamin B1) in the body. Consuming large quantities of raw or undercooked fiddleheads can lead to thiamine deficiency, which can cause symptoms like fatigue, irritability, and nerve damage. Therefore - you can have damage done without getting food poisoning, and selling fiddleheads at markets which are undercooked... I am not sure what to say to that. Very scary misinformation and makes me very wary of this whole site. Please make sure you post informed recipes.
Alan Bergo
Hi Ina, first, this recipe is not only on my site, but published in my book, which you can buy in Norway and Western Europe. This recipe is over a decade old, and has been used to preserve thousands of pounds of fiddleheads by homecooks, restaurants, and commercial purveyors-without any issues to speak of. While I don't mention it in the post, there's a few commercial suppliers using this exact recipe, which they sell in jars, shipped all over North America now. The fiddles are technically cooked twice, once in boiling water, and then with boiling pickling liquid. That said, I only use it for ostrich ferns, and not for bracken as those I do cook longer. As I've been serving wild food to the general public for decades, understanding the ins and outs of plant and mushroom toxicity is one of my specialties. The info you're presenting is relevant to raw fiddleheads, which have nothing to do with this recipe.
Cara Cassavoy
I’ve made this recipe for a couple years now. This time my jars weee not ready, so I put the blanched fiddleheads in the refrigerator. Now I’m worried they will make me sick. They did seal overnight. Also, can this be done with cucumbers and carrots? Note, they weren’t blanched first.
Alan Bergo
Hi. In order to help I need you to walk me through exactly what you did, step by step.
Cara Cassavoy
I blanched the fiddleheads for 90 seconds. The jars were being washed and he dried in the dishwasher and were not ready, so I put the fiddleheads in the refrigerator. I made the pickling liquid..your recipe to the letter but used white vinegar. Pulled jars out of dishwasher hot, put fiddleheads, garlic and lemon in jars and filled to the top with boiling liquid. Seal tightly and put upside down overnight. Jars are tightly sealed with no give in the top. For the cakes and carrots, I did the above but didn’t blanch the veggies
Alan Bergo
That's what I needed to know. If it was me, and the jars were sealed, I'd probably store them in a pantry. There's so much vinegar in them they'll be stable. Obv, any jars that have not sealed should be refrigerated. That said, for a number of reasons, I have to say because you didn't follow the recipe that you're eating them at your own risk. It's not safe to improvise with pickles unless you have a lot of experience.
Haylie
We followed this recipe exactly last spring and after testing a jar a month into pickling, I’m happy to report we served these at our wedding last year in September and they were an absolute hit. We did both white vinegar and apple cider vinegar jars, and the latter was our preferred option! The jars self-sealed with the upside down method and the leftover jarred fiddleheads stayed crunchy well after our wedding date. Caution is very important but this recipe is absolutely incredible! Thank you
Alan Bergo
Thanks Haylie, glad it worked for you.
Sara Ouellette
In the recipe notes it states that you can use apple cider, white or a couple other choices. If you do use one of these vinagars do you use the same amount as the rice wine vinegar in the recipe? (2 cups)
Alan Bergo
Yes you use the same amount. RWV is lighter and less aggressive than the others and my personal preference.
Sara Ouellette
Why is there a water bath canner listed in the equipment if you do not process the pickled fiddleheads?
Alan Bergo
Thanks for catching that. It's unnecessary.
Nancy Cohen
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?
Alan Bergo
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/
Lynn
Can you do this same recipe with asparagus too?
Alan Bergo
You can, and the chef that taught me does it to this day. Just remember to fill the jars to the brim.
Bonnie
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!!!
Alan Bergo
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.
Bonnie
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?
Alan Bergo
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.
Divinity
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??
Alan Bergo
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.
Daniel
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?
Alan Bergo
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.
Sue
Thank you for the recipe- trying these Tommorow after I gather my supply’s and clean these little buggers
Alan Bergo
Thanks Sue, let me know how it works for you. Some people, including a company that ships around the country, make these en-masse to sell them.
AngelA
I just followed your recipe last night. So now I wait. The suspense of flavour is killing me.,I hope they are delicious. 🙂
Alan Bergo
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.
Donna Keniston
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?
Alan Bergo
As in pressure canning? Sure but they're going to be mush.
mark boudreault
So there’s no need to refrigerate them after processing them ?
Alan Bergo
Correct. As long as they're made the seal, you're good.
eric tischler
will this work for chanterelles?
Alan Bergo
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.
Judith
Was very pleased with the results--nice and crisp and not too much vinegar so a pleasant flavour. Thank you for the recipe!
Alan Bergo
Glad you liked them, they're a favorite around here.
eric tischler
Made them last year, and over 2 quarts this year. I like them with breaded fish. Thanks
Alan Bergo
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.
Cassandra Parisien
How long am i expected to wait until i can enjoy them? 🙂
Alan Bergo
If you really must, a week or so.
Alina
I made a batch the other night and was wondering how long before I can open up a jar? 🙂
Alan Bergo
If you must, I'd wait at least a week, flavors meld and change with time.
Sandra
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.
Alan Bergo
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.
Jess Anderson
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.
Eric
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?
Alan Bergo
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.
Tam
absolutely love this recipe remarkable flavour
Alan Bergo
Remember you can change up the flavorings any way you like. Happy hunting.
Claudia Marieb
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!
Claudia
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!
Jacqueline G Thompson
Good to know. What shelf life do you give them?
Alan Bergo
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.
Kim Rumbolt
Love to have more pickeling res