Hadley: Fiddleheads and Cake

Fiddleheads came up three times today! For those who don't know,
fiddleheads are baby ferns, so they are only around for a few weeks
each year in Massachusetts. I saw a few when I was out on the walk
today with my parents and Barley. Then, while doing some errands at
Atkins, I saw they were selling them there. And tonight, at an
impromptu birthday gathering for Jeff, I got to try some. Jeff and
Greg had picked them earlier in the day behind Jeff's house in Hadley.

Jeff explained that fiddleheads grow in clusters of seven. When picking them, you should only pick 3-4 per cluster, so the fern doesn't die.

Jeff and Greg told me how to prepare them. First, you
remove the skin. Then they need to be boiled twice for ten minutes.
The second boil helps to remove extra tannins and toxins. After
straining them, they put them in a bowl with some butter, salt and
pepper.To me they tasted like a cross between spinach and Brussels
sprouts - I hadn't eaten them in a few years!

I like eating wild foods, and aside from mushrooms, I rarely eat them
these days. So it was exciting.

After dinner, we had a delicious birthday cake made by Jeff's
housemate Cathie. It had three layers of chocolate cake - in between
was a layer of strawberries/raspberries and a layer of vanilla mousse.
Delicious.

Just before dessert, I accidentally spilled the entire cup of gravy
over the table, and onto my foot. Luckily I was wearing flip flops, so
I went outside to the outdoor faucet and washed off my foot. It was a
new experience - I don't think I have ever washed gravy off my foot
before.

I am all packed now, and I leave my house tomorrow at 10 AM!