Retailers have been asking for them for weeks and soon, they will be available: fiddleheads. They are considered a local delicacy, signifying the start of spring. "This is an exciting time as it's Canada's first local crop of the season and foraging will start this week," says Brittany Maranger, President of ForageGirl Fiddleheads, a brand of NorCliff Farms in Quebec, Canada. Fiddleheads are the coiled sprouts of the ostrich fern, grown and gathered in the wild in Canada and the Northern United States. They are one of Canada's oldest vegetables and are all hand picked by foragers who have a passion for the specialty vegetable. "For many foragers, it's a lifelong tradition and they know the secret spots where fiddleheads are grown." The season is short, starting around the first of May and lasting through June.
Brittany Maranger shows fiddleheads in plant-based trays that are recyclable and industrially compostable.
In stores within 30 hours after harvest
From the start of the season, foragers daily bring in their harvest to NorCliff's facility in Quebec. "Starting this Thursday, we open our doors for the season and receive product from 4:00 pm until 8:00 pm. On a heavy day, up to 25,000 lbs. of fiddleheads are brought in." After 8:00 pm, the night shift starts, preparing the fiddleheads for shipment. The nightly routine starts with a washing process, which is followed by keeping the product in a tank with ice water at 2°C to sustain the high quality. Fiddleheads will stay in the tank until 7:30 am in the morning when another round of cleaning and inspections takes place. After that, product is put in 10 lb. bulk bags or 0.5 lb. plant-based trays before it leaves the facility at 2:00 pm to be distributed to warehouses all over Canada and into the U.S. "We offer the freshest product possible as our fiddleheads reach stores within 30 hours from harvest," Maranger mentioned. Altogether, about 200,000 lbs. of fiddleheads are harvested during a six-week time frame.
Nutritional benefits
Fiddleheads need to be cooked to develop their optimum flavor and can be eaten as a side vegetable, used in pasta, put on pizza, or mixed into an omelet with eggs. The nutritional benefits of fiddleheads are ample. In addition to being low in calories, fat, and cholesterol, they contain anti-inflammatory aspects as they are rich in essential fatty acids as well as antioxidants. "They contain three times more antioxidants than spinach and their level of antioxidants is two times higher than blueberries. Furthermore, fiddleheads contain more potassium than bananas, more vitamin C than lemons and have more than double the iron that broccoli has. They have the most complete fatty acid spectrum of any edible green plant." Most consumers aren't aware of these health benefits and Maranger feels consumers deserve to know. "This vegetable really is Nature's gift, and we try to educate consumers on social media and by sending out a seasonal newsletter."
Nick Secord, the company's founder.
Five years ago, Maranger purchased the business that was started by her stepfather Nick. He got involved in foraging fiddleheads in the early 1970s. "A store owner asked him to pick some fiddleheads in exchange of an afternoon of fly-fishing. The following year, another store owner called him, and this is how the business started." While Maranger had a career in finance, she always had the intention to take over the business when timing was right. Back in 2020, she left her corporate job and traded her heels for boots when her stepdad and mom sold the business for health reasons. Maranger rebranded the company into ForageGirl Fiddleheads.
For more information:
Brittany Maranger
ForageGirl Fiddleheads
Tel: (+1) 647-881-4549
[email protected]
www.foragegirl.com