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Chicken with Fiddleheads and Pasta
If you are fond of foraging, it’s time to head into the woods. Morel mushrooms and fiddlehead ferns are two prized ingredients that can be found from early May through early June. Morels and fiddleheads are featured in a decadent recipe shared by area foraging expert, Mason Wiekert.
Mason is originally from Illinois. He started coming to this area as a Boy Scout in 2001 and moved here permanently in 2016. Mason hunts for many wild ingredients, though mushrooms are his main focus. At a young age, he learned morel hunting from his grandfather. Mason also hunts for oyster mushrooms, chanterelles, lion’s mane, black trumpets, puffballs, and chaga. Aside from foraging, Mason enjoys fishing, hiking with his dog, carpentry, gardening, and canning.
When it comes to morels, Mason says you should look in poplar stands or walk trails and deer paths. If you find one, take a step back and look in all directions for more morels. Carefully walk around the area and remember where you find any.
Morels usually come up in the same place from year to year. Because morels and fiddleheads have toxic look-alikes, amateur foragers should not consume any of their foraged items until they are looked over by an expert. Fiddlehead ferns are the edible shoots of ostrich ferns. They can be found near marshes, running water, and in wooded areas with fertile soil.
If you don’t feel comfortable foraging, you can use your favorite store bought mushrooms in place of the morels and cut-up asparagus spears in place of the fiddleheads.
Mason says this recipe would also be great with chanterelles, which can be found from the end of July through October.
I would like to thank Mason for sharing his recipe and expertise on wild edibles.
