Photo by Tom Norton on iNaturalist · CC BY 4.0
Fiddleheads (ostrich fern)
Matteuccia struthiopteris
- When
- Typically April – May — April, May. Earlier in the south, later in the north.
- Where it grows
- Floodplains, riverbanks and damp woods, usually in stands.
- How to know it
- Tight bright-green coils with a deep U-shaped groove on the inside of a smooth stem, wrapped in papery brown scales that rub off. No fuzz.
- Look-alikes
- Bracken and cinnamon fern fiddleheads are woolly, round-stemmed and not for eating.
- Harvest and use
- Rinse well and boil at least 15 minutes or steam 12 — never raw or lightly sautéed. Then butter and lemon.
- Caution
- Raw or undercooked fiddleheads cause food poisoning. Take no more than half the coils from a crown.
Found in these regions
- Acadian Forest & Atlantic Coast
- Great Lakes & St. Lawrence Lowlands
- Boreal Forest & Shield
- Appalachian Highlands
- Northeast Atlantic Coast & Piedmont
Hardiness zones 2–6.
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Also ready in September
FruitAugust – SeptemberBeach plum
Prunus maritima
Low sprawling shrub in the sand, with dusty purple plums about the size of a marble.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
NutSeptember – OctoberBlack walnut
Juglans nigra
Tennis-ball green husks lying under a tall tree with long compound leaves; the husk stains everything it touches brown.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Sandy Wolkenberg · CC BY 4.0
FruitAugust – SeptemberChokecherry
Prunus virginiana
Long drooping clusters of dark red-to-black cherries on a small tree with finely toothed oval leaves.
How to know it & its look-alikes →Photo: Tom Norton · CC BY 4.0
Educational information only. Never eat a wild plant or mushroom identified from a single photograph or description — confirm with a regional field guide or an experienced forager, and know the poisonous species in your area first.