There are a myriad of harvestable wild edibles in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are fiddlehead ferns are adored because of their nutritious value and flavor. After the fern fronds have sprung and are visible from the fall’s decay with tight coils, awaiting the arrival of spring. This is the time when the harvest occurs and around 20 participants of the 1st of June’s Finding Fiddleheads Ethnobotany Walk in Bethel were there at the right time spot the ferns.
Sharmin Shompa as well as Aiden Keller were both rewarded for their attendance on a rainy and cold Thursday evening. Shompa claimed she was able to collect around 100 fiddleheads within one hour, whereas Keller was carrying a larger container and estimated his total to be around 200 fiddleheads.
“[Idid not] know anything about them until they made a post on Facebook. Nobody has ever brought the subject up, and I’ve never seen it on any other site,” Keller said. “People sell the berries on the internet and people place the fish on websites, and such things. Furs, seals, whales Never seen a fiddlehead online.”
Bethel Community Services Foundation Food Security Coordinator Carey Atchak led the event that was organized at the Kuskokwim Consortium Library. The group was greeted by hunters at a wooded area that runs along BIA Road.
“I enjoy picking the ones near the ground, and they appear exactly like this,” Atchak said as she washed away the fallen leaves, revealing a clump of newly emerged fiddleheads.
While it’s not safe to consume raw, fiddleheads are a delicious delicacy when boiled sauteed, roasted or braised. They can also be deep-fried. If you’re a lover of asparagus, artichoke and string beans, then you’re fortunate because the fiddleheads have been linked to the three. They can be mixed into salads and pasta, placed on pizzas, or placed on the Y-K Delta, mixed into whipped fat, similar to traditional akutaq.
As soon as participants had identified their plant they broke into different directions, and walked through dense fields of willows and alders in search of fiddleheads. Participants Margaret Herron met back up with Atchak after an hour of hunting.
“There there you go. Wow, you’ve got a lot in there,”” Herron said. “I nearly backed out but I’m glad I did not.”
It is suggested to only pick fiddleheads from plants that have healthy numbers, and to keep at least half the fiddleheads of each plant crown, unaltered to ensure longevity.
