Best Sweet Pickled Fiddleheads Recipes

Crunchy Pickled Fiddlehead Ferns image

Provided by Alan Bergo

Categories Snack

Number Of Ingredients 8

2-2.5 lbs of the youngest (tightest fiddlehead ferns you can find)
2 cups vinegar (like apple cider, white, or white wine/champagne vinegar)
4 cups water
2 Tbsp 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 )

Steps:

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.