Of course, the window of opportunity to have fresh fiddleheads is a narrow one. Preserving them by canning and pickling allows you to enjoy them year round. In early spring, it’s all about serving them straight up, but I put up a good deal too, pickling them, as well as freezing some in vacuum packs for the winter. Freezing is the most common and safest way to preserve fiddleheads.
FREEZING FIDDLEHEADS
To freeze fiddleheads make sure to follow these steps:
1.Clean them by cutting off any browned stem ends and removing the brown, papery outer shell by gently rubbing them under cold running water. Be sure to rinse them thoroughly.
2.Blanch a small amount of fiddleheads at a time for two minutes in 4-6 cups of water. As a reminder the blanch time starts when the water comes to a rolling boil after adding the produce.
3.Cool in a ice bath immediately after blanching (half ice water mixture)
4.Dry thoroughly and place into moisture and vapor proof containers such as resealable plastic bags. Do not over fill bags.
5.Place container in freezer.
6.To use frozen fiddleheads thaw in refrigerator or cold water. Cook in a pan of boiling water for 10 minutes, drain and rinse and put into fresh salted water and boil for another 15 minutes.
CANNING FIDDLEHEADS
PRESSURE COOKER CANNING METHODS ARE NOT RECCOMENDED FOR FIDDLEHEADS. tHE PREFERRED AND SAFEST METHOD IS BOILING WATER BATH CANNING.
Plain and Pickled Fiddleheads
- cider vinegar
- sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon each of pepper, ground nutmeg, cinnamon, allspice and celery seed
Pour enough vinegar over the fiddleheads to cover; then strain it off into a pan. Add 1 cup sugar for every gallon of vinegar. Add a large pinch of each of the spices and celery seed. Boil this syrup for 7-8 minutes; then pour over the fiddleheads in pint-sized jars. Seal and process for 10 minutes in a boiling water process canner.
Sweet Pickled Fiddleheads
- 1 quart cider vinegar
- 5 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
Mix vinegar, sugar and salt in saucepan; bring to a boil, pour over fiddleheads in pint-sized jars; seal; process 10 minutes in boiling water process canning kettle. Makes 6 pints.
Sugar-Free Fiddlehead Pickles
- 1 gallon vinegar
- 1 teaspoon powdered saccharin (if desired)
- 1 teaspoon powdered alum
- ½ cup salt
- ½ teaspoon powdered cloves
- 1 teaspoon powdered allspice
- 1 tablespoon powdered cinnamon
- ½ cup dry mustard
Pack fiddleheads into jars; pour enough liquid to cover fiddleheads; seal at once. Process for 10 minutes in boiling water bath. Let stand at least two weeks before using.
Mustard Fiddlehead Pickles
- 1 quart button onions (peeled)
- 1 quart fiddleheads
- 2 cups salt
- 4 quarts water
- 1 cup flour
- 6 tablespoons dry mustard
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 quarts vinegar
Wash and prepare button onions and fiddleheads. Mix salt and water. Pour over fiddleheads. Let stand overnight. Bring to boil, and drain in colander. Mix flour and dry mustard. Stir in enough vinegar to make smooth paste. Add sugar and vinegar. Boil until thick and smooth, stir constantly. Add the fiddleheads and cook until they are just heated through. (Overcooking makes them soft instead of crisp.) Pour into jars and seal immediately. Process 10 minutes in boiling water process canner. Makes 8 pints.
Quick Sour Fiddlehead Pickles
- ½ gallon cider vinegar
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup salt
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup mustard seed
Mix ingredients, bring to boil. Pour over fiddleheads in pint-sized jars; seal; process 10 minutes in boiling water process canner.
Bread and Butter Fiddlehead Pickles
- 4 pounds fiddleheads
- 3 large onions, thinly sliced
- ½ cup salt
- cold water
- 3 trays ice cubes
- 5 cups sugar
- 5 cups cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons turmeric
- 1 ½ teaspoons celery seeds
- 1 ½ teaspoons mustard seeds
In 8-quart enamel, stainless steel or glass container, stir fiddleheads, onions, salt and enough cold water to cover fiddleheads until salt dissolves; stir in ice. Cover; let stand in cool place 3 hours. Drain fiddleheads and rinse with cold running water; drain thoroughly.
Measure sugar, vinegar, turmeric, celery seeds and mustard seeds into 8-quart Dutch oven or heavy saucepan. Over high heat, heat to boiling. Reduce heat to low; simmer, uncovered 30 minutes, stirring often. Meanwhile, prepare jars and caps. Add fiddleheads and onions to Dutch oven; heat to boiling. Spoon hot fiddleheads into hot jars to ¼ inch from the top. Immediately ladle syrup over fiddleheads. Process 10 minutes in boiling water process canner. Cool jars and test for air tightness. Makes about 6 pints.
Stephanie Sisson says
I love the recipes for peserving fiddleheads. I decided to can mine versus freezing for the first time. I was a little nervous, but they turned out great! I was not able to get celery and mustard seeds as my store was all out! So I just went with the salt and applecider vinegar. Fingerscrossed they will taste great! I wish I could include a picture of the finished product. Thanks again for your helpful information/recipes.
Shanna says
Can I pressure can fiddleheads
Sheryl Thompson says
I don't recommend canning fiddleheads using a pressure canner because a safe process time hasn't been established yet. Because of where fiddleheads grow and the potential for a number of parasites and diseases that could be present there, it is best to thoroughly wash them and then either cook them on the stove top by boiling or sautéing. or preserve them by pickling them using a water bath canner. Freezing after blanching them is also a way to preserve fiddleheads.
Michael Furrow says
Was that 11 psi? Was the time for pints or quarts? I’m also doing fiddle heads this year. Assistance appreciated, thanks
Sheryl Thompson says
Use pint sized jars for all recipes on the jars. PSI? All of the recipes on this page are for "water bath canning" so there is no pressure cooker involved.
Joni brown says
Hey I was going to can some fiddleheads in a hot water bath do I have to blanch them first or can I put clean ferns in canning jars than pour over hot brine then can for 10 minutes in pint jars
Sheryl Thompson says
Blanch first.
Gail says
We have canned fiddleheads before in the pressure canner. However we never wrote down the pressure and length of time, could you refresh us please
Sheryl T says
Pressure canning is a very tricky thing and really varies with where you live. Pressure is decided by the elevation you live at and the type of pressure canner that you are using (weighted gauge or dial gauge) so you really have to check with your county extension program to be safe. For where I live, I process at 11 lbs. for 45 minutes and have never had a problem.
Gail says
We've pressure cooker canned them in the past. At what pressure and how long
pauline carpenter says
can i can fiddlehead with just water
Sheryl T says
yes, but you must use a pressure cooker canning method. Only use the water bath canning method when you are pickling.
Holly J Todd says
So we are to blanchbthe fiddleheads first it didn’t say that in the recipes direction so can I just boil longer in the brine before putting in jars
Sheryl Thompson says
Blanch before freezing. When canning, follow recipe directions for water bath canning times.
Navroz says
Hi Sharon I'm canning pecehas for the first time. I'm doing pints, sliced the pecehas as opposed to halving them, and used a light syrup using agave nectar. My question is, the first batch all have about 1 to 1-1/2 inches of liquid at the bottom of the jars . . . like the fruit floated to the top and stayed there. Is this normal, or did I not pack the fruit down enough? I did the raw pack, so when I filled the jars I put a little of my hot syrup in the bottom of the hot jar so that I wasn't puttling cool fruit in a hot jar. I just dropped the slices in until I reached the top, topped off with my syrup, removed the air bubbles and cleaned the rims and put the lids on. Just wondering if I'm doing something wrong . . . thanks!