In Maine, the Debate is: Pick Your Own Fiddleheads or Buy Them?

I'll never understand how some people don't like fiddleheads.

But that's not what this is about. But it's true. They're very tasty. especially like we used to have them when I was a kid... Drowning in butter, salt & pepper, and a splash of cider vinegar. I've eaten them every which way since. I even made the mistake of eating them raw once. That's not a mistake you ever make twice, trust me.

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The raw ones will have you wondering what on God's green Earth happened to you. You'll feel very sick, but won't be in any danger of any kind. and maybe that's why some people don't like them. Of course, they also look like straight-up alien food too, so there's that. But what I really wanna know, is where most people get them?

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There's three main sources for fiddleheads.

You can really only get the delicious baby ferns in one of three places. You either get them at the grocery store, which in my mind is the least preferred method. When they sit in that big bin at the store, people get their hands all through them and can frankly kind of ruin them.

You can also buy them on the side of the road. To me, that's the best place to buy them. The money is going straight in the harvester's pocket, and they've had a lot fewer people rifling through them and messing them yup. And by all means, you can also go out and just pick your own, but make sure you get the right ferns!

So which method do the majority of Mainers prefer?

I asked a few of my friends, including chefs, and it would seem most Mainers either buy them from the side of the road, or pick their own. It seemed like a lot of folks felt the same way I did, which was wanting less people handling their food. Then of course, there were the haters that just wanted to insult the existence of fiddleheads, hahaha.

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Just like most things, Mainers just want you to let them do their thing and not bug them about it, and they want as few outsiders touching their stuff as possible. That sounds like true Mainers right there.

Have you ever tried any of these foods?