Rhubarb and Fiddlheads

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First, we hope everyone has had a great Mothers' Day. It certainly has kept us busy at the Tea Room and we had a wonderful time hosting celebrating families ...including our own.

This week, one of our kind neighbours dropped by with some Rhubarb. This reminded us that it was indeed the Season to pick and we had quite a bit to harvest ourselves.

Last year, we found a couple of large plants behind the house. We figured out how to "split" them and propagate them in a raised bed. 

This year, they are doing well and are now already at the flowering stage.

Our Rhubarb patch

We love Rhubarb and this one in particular. When picked at this stage, it is very tender (no thick skin to peel from the stems) and it is milder (less sour) than the traditional plant. It's called Strawberry Rhubarb and has short red stained stems.

Strawberry Rhubarb ready for processing

Along with Ramps, this week we've provided some of this Rhubarb to customers as part of our "Gifting Berries" or Gift Economy program. The rest, we're processing.

In this case, we've made a great jam. Meanwhile Chef is preserving some for a sorbet base.

The latest addition to the jam collection: Rhubarb

This time of year, our foraging activities continue and this week it was time to pick Fiddleheads (also an addition to "Gifting Berries").

Fiddleheads are the unfurled leaves of the Ostrich Fern. Just as the Ramps, our wet forest floor has gifted us another great food. This one we tend to find on mossy ground among the Skunk Cabbage.

Fiddlehead "hunting grounds" among the Skunk Cabbage

They are not difficult to find as they tend to protrude from last year's growth. So all you really need to find to get started is the old remains of last year's ferns.

The Fiddlehead

We did not pick any last year except for our own consumption. This year, we picked a touch more so that Chef could pickle them and our customers could try them.

A Fiddlehead harvest

Fiddleheads should be blanched before using. Once this is done, they can be used just like any other great green.

Chef's Fiddlehead Pickle....sometimes part of our charcuterie plate

One of the real pleasures of foraging is finding a great mushroom. 

Last year (thanks to our neighbour) we discovered the Pheasant  Back Saddle Mushroom. We enjoyed it, but it was rather late in the Season to pick and as such a bit tough.

The Pheasant Back Saddle Mushroom

This year, we remembered where to find them and managed to pick a few just in time....they were a real treat (once Chef got his hands on them).

Chef's special "Croque Madame": an open face sandwich with melted cheese, a meddley of mushrooms (including our Pheasant Back) and a fried egg.....finished with a drizzle of Birch Syrup!

With Spring fully underway, we are now extremely busy...but we still have time to enjoy a few things around the farm. So we'll end this week with the photo of a beautiful and ancient flower that adorns the marshes (since we've spent quite a bit of time foraging there). This is the Marsh Marigold.

The Marsh Marigold