First Tastes of Spring: Finding and Cooking with Ramps, Fiddleheads, and Nettles

Fiddlehead illustration

It’s several weeks still until I’ll lose track of my hat and gloves, but the thaw is here nonetheless. In the softening of the greenway to silty mud, in the blush of cherry blossoms swelling at the tips of sidewalk trees, in the slight calming of foot traffic paces—even in the wash of unending rain—spring is shy but showing. And as the first shades of green unfurl from our soils, visions of fresh vegetables percolate in my mind. 

Though we’ve a long voyage between ourselves and the days of bountiful outdoor farmers markets and crisper drawers that simply won’t be crammed shut around exuberant bundles of kale, we are not so far at all from the first local harvest. In Massachusetts, April brings some of the year's first wild greens: ramps, fiddleheads, and nettles.

Meet the Vegetables

Ramp illustration

Ramps are a type of wild allium that taste similar to a spring onion but are a bit more pungent. Fiddleheads are young ferns, which are still furled, thus resembling the head of a fiddle. Only the fiddles from certain types of ferns, such as Ostrich ferns, are edible and they must be harvested early, before they begin to open. They are asparagus-like in flavor but can be fairly bitter. Nettles—or stinging nettles—are an invasive leafy plant that can be used for tea or cooked and incorporated in most dishes that would accommodate spinach. 

It is important to always properly cook both fiddleheads and nettles, as neither should be eaten raw.

In celebration of these first edible shoots of spring, this guide compiles favorite recipes from your neighbors in and around Somerville—including several from the Somerville Library Supper Club, which meets on third Tuesdays at Bow Market to share a potluck dinner inspired by the cookbook of the month—and where to find fiddles, ramps, and nettles locally. It also includes a few asparagus recipes from our neighbors who look hungrily to May, when many a tender spear will spring from slightly warmer soils. 

A Guide to Finding Your Ingredients

Fiddleheads, ramps, and nettles all grow wild in Massachusetts and are commonly foraged items. However, if you are not familiar with identifying and responsibly harvesting them, you can find them in stores nearby. 

THE mushroom shop - Somerville

This eclectic shop sits just outside Magoun Square in Somerville and stocks all your mushroom needs, including local seasonal fungi. It also offers a small selection of vegetables and will have fiddleheads and nettles in stock this spring. They currently have white asparagus and will stock asparagus grown in Hadley, Massachusetts, through May and June. 

Neighborhood Produce - Somerville

This co-op grocery store has two convenient locations and a surprisingly comprehensive supply of goods for its size. Visit them in Winter Hill or Ball Square to find fiddles, ramps, and a large selection of other vegetables.  

Momma’s Grocery - Cambridge

Momma’s Grocery sits just over the border of the Somerville-Cambridge line and is a tiny but delightful place to find locally sourced vegetables. In the next few weeks, they will begin to stock fiddleheads and ramps that are wild grown and harvested in Hadley, Massachusetts. They also occasionally stock foraged mushrooms, but mostly sell cultivated, organically grown mushrooms. Later in the spring, they will offer asparagus. 

A Very Informal Recipe Book 

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Pickled Mushroom and Ramp Pasta

Shared by a Supper Club Regular who declined to use their name. 

Ingredients

Pasta of choice

Mushrooms of choice

Ramps 

¼ cup peas

2-3 cloves of garlic 

A bit of oil (dealer’s choice) 

A few Tablespoons pickle brine

Red pepper flakes

Salt + pepper

Recipe

1. Slice mushrooms and 2-3 cloves of garlic and roughly chop ramps into thirds. Add all three to a pan and sauté in a bit of oil for about five minutes.

2. Add a few tablespoons of pickle brine and sauté about 30-60 seconds more. Remove from pan. 

3. Boil pasta in salted water according to package instructions. Just before the pasta is done, blanch about ¼ cup of peas in the pasta water. Strain pea and pasta mixture through colander then transfer to a dish and mix with a little more olive oil and brine. 

4. Top pasta with ramps, mushrooms, a pinch of red pepper flakes, salt, and a squeeze of lemon.

Author’s description: 

“It's light, simple, but pickle brine adds a complexity and a bit of sugar that brings out the sweetness in the peas and ramps. This is also great topped with some fresh mint or dill if people have it on hand.” 

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Ramp Caesar Dressing

Shared by Maya Colman, a staff member at Momma’s Grocery

Ingredients (makes enough for 3-4 salads)

2-4 anchovies

About 5 ramps

2 lemons (use the juice of both and zest of one)

Parsley (optional, adds color)

Heaping spoonful of mustard

1-2 egg yolks (depending on desired texture)

S+P to taste

A few generous “glugs” of olive oil

Parmesan 

Recipe

1. Combine all ingredients in an immersion blender or other processing device and blend until it reaches desired consistency. 

2. Spoon combined ingredients into a large bowl and grate in a “boat load” of parmesan. (Note, this can be blended in during step 1 for a smoother consistency).

3. Serve with greens of choice, more parm, and a crunchy topping.

Author’s description

“Ramp Caesar Dressing is for sure something I’d make again.” Maya likes a bright + bitey dressing, so her version is heavy on the lemon + mustard but could be made with less of those and more olive oil to get a more classic Caesar.

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Fiddlehead Egg Bites (makes 6-7 using a mini muffin tin)

Shared by author

Ingredients

About 1/2 cup fiddleheads

1 medium egg

½ cup cottage cheese

1 clove garlic minced

1 tablespoon grated parmesan (optional)

Herbs: basil, thyme, or both

Butter or oil for sauteing 

Salt + pepper

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add fiddleheads and cook for about 8 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.

3. While fiddles are boiling, blend cottage cheese in a small blender or food processor until completely smooth. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix with egg, a pinch of salt and pepper, about a tablespoon of your chosen herbs, and parmesan if using. 

4. Add a small amount of butter or oil to a saucepan. When it begins to sizzle, add garlic and fiddleheads and saute for 3-5 minutes. 

5. Remove from heat and roughly chop about half your fiddles, add to cottage cheese mixture and combine. Be sure to reserve the fiddles you did not chop.

6. Spoon cottage cheese mixture into the tins of a mini muffin sheet. Fill each about ⅔, leaving room for rising. Top each muffin with one of your reserved fiddles. 

7. Place sheet on middle rack of oven and bake about 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Note that your muffins will puff significantly in the oven but will begin to deflate when you remove them. 

8. Serve warm.

Author’s description

Like a light and fluffy bite-sized omelet, these are highly customizable. I liked them best with basil and a tiny bit of parmesan. 

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Cream Cheese & Mustard Fiddle Dip 

Shared by author

Ingredients (single serving)

¼ cup fiddleheads

1 generous Tblsp cream cheese

1 Tbsp mustard of choice

1 clove garlic, minced

Sprinkle of whole cumin seeds (optional)

1. Bring a small pot of water to a boil and cook fiddleheads for about 8 minutes. Strain and rinse in cold water. 

2. Heat a small amount of butter or oil in a saucepan over medium heat and saute garlic and fiddles for 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3. Combine cream cheese and mustard in a small bowl. If you are using cumin, add it now, but be careful not to overdo it as the cumin can easily overpower the other ingredients.

4. Add fiddles to cream cheese mixture and stir to coat.

5. Use as a dip, spread, or filling. 

Author’s description

This is a creamy, tangy dish that gives the flavor of pickling without the wait. I ate it plain but imagine it would be delightful on toast or in a puff pastry. 

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Sauteed Nettles

Shared by Breanne B

Ingredients

Nettles

Vegetables and seasonings of choice

Oil

Recipe

1. Rinse and blanch nettles then strain and chop. (Note, you can also freeze your nettles after this step to use later).

2. Add blanched fresh or frozen nettles in a large saucepan with other vegetables and salt or other seasonings of choice. Sauté and enjoy!

Author’s description

“I absolutely love nettle … It works like any other frozen green.” Breanne also often adds nettles to pastas and soups, and drinks nettle tea to help with springtime allergies and to boost the immune system. 

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Asparagus Tart

Shared by a Supper Club newcomer who declined to use their name

Ingredients

Puff pastry

Dijon mustard (optional)

Asparagus

Gruyere cheese

Recipe

1. Heat oven to 350F.

2. On a baking sheet, layout a sheet of puff pastry. Make a shallow incision around the border and dock the inside of the rectangle. Bake at 350F for 12 minutes. 

3. Remove puff pastry from oven and spread with a thin layer of Dijon mustard (if using).

4. Lay asparagus across puff pastry and top with gruyere cheese.

5. Return to oven and bake until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and let cool. Then add a splash of balsamic vinegar over the top. Slice and serve. 

   
   

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A Little More Inspiration

Several people also shared their favorite externally sourced recipes. Gregory Xavier, who leads the Somerville Library Supper Club, contributed this leek and asparagus soup recipe from a Massachusetts chef, and a family friend of mine sent along her go-to recipe for ramp and goat cheese scones.

These are a few of the ways your neighbors will be enjoying their early spring vegetables, but many of these ingredients are fairly versatile. Ramps, especially, can be used in most recipes where you might use spring onions or aromatic herbs. Nettles must always be cooked but can stand in for spinach or other greens. And fiddleheads must also always be properly cooked but can be used in place of asparagus in most recipes.

Quite a few folks told me their favorite way to enjoy fiddleheads is to keep it simple with a quick sauté. This takes a slightly different process than with other vegetables, as they should be boiled or blanched first. Once in the pan, you can use oil or butter for the sauté and liven up the flavor profile with additions such as garlic or a splash of vinegar or lemon juice added at the end. Others said they enjoy pickling fiddleheads, which can be done from scratch with vinegar, salt, and optional spices, or using pickling kits. Nettles can be used in tea or blended in a pesto in place of basil. 

However you choose to whip up these springtime treats, forage safely, buy sustainably, and enjoy wholeheartedly.