THIS IS A SIMPLE way to put up lady fern fiddleheads.

I’ve used other pickling recipes in the past, but this is my new favorite for its ease, texture (i.e. crunch), and a perfect balance between salt and sweet.

One of the benefits of the quick pickle method is that the fiddleheads aren’t subjected to a withering hot water bath. The obvious downside is that this is a refrigerator pickle and you can’t keep them in the cupboard.

2 packed cups fiddleheads, cleaned
1 cup rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
2 half-pint jars

A note on cleaning fiddleheads: It’s imperative that you remove as much of the brown, hairy, and bitter-tasting sheath that adorns the fiddlehead as possible. The easiest way to do this is to immerse them in a bowl of water and then rub each fiddlehead with thumb and forefinger to clean. Neatly trim the ends afterward.

1. In a pot of salted water, parboil cleaned fiddleheads for 30 seconds. Drain and shock in cold water before draining again and removing to paper towels.

2. Mix pickling brine of rice vinegar, salt, and sugar. You can omit the salt and sugar by using pre-seasoned rice vinegar, or experiment to taste.

3. Pack 2 half-pint jars with fiddleheads and cover with pickling brine. Refrigerate overnight.