I have, in the past, said some not-very-nice things about Whole Foods. I think at one point I even tried to boycott the place. That obviously didn’t last, and while I don’t do anywhere near all of my grocery shopping there, I do hit it once a month or so for a few things I can’t find anywhere else.
Regular readers will know of my great love for fiddleheads, a Down East treat that usually doesn’t appear until mid-to-late June. A few years ago, some farmers in Ontario tried harvesting the tasty green delicacies and they seem to have taken to Ontario soil quite well. I literally made a “Squeee!!!” noise and did a little dance in the Whole Foods produce section when I saw these.
Then I turned around to find (finally!!) organic Ontario asparagus.
As fiddleheads tend to taste similar to asparagus, I tend to go for the stalks until the furls become available. And truth be told, fiddlehead season is frighteningly short. A couple of weeks, tops.
So now I have a conundrum. I bought some of each, just because I’ve been craving both for months and it means local harvest season is finally under way. But I can’t decide which to eat first. Or what to do with them. I typically cook both by steaming and then tossing with lots of garlic, butter and lemon juice. But I think the fiddleheads are going to get a sauté and then popped into an omelette for breakfast. And the asparagus can pair up with some fingerling potatoes and some beets and some vegetarian meatloaf.
Or vice versa.
Or maybe I can put either in pasta.
Or, serve either one with quinoa and some nice trout.
Too many options!
