With almost all of the snow gone, the Aroostook River and its tributaries are now yielding fiddleheads, the region’s most popular wild vegetable.
By noon on a rainy Wednesday, May 10, Kim Robbins had sold almost a hundred pounds of the furled fronds of ostrich ferns from a parking lot along a busy stretch of Route 1 in Presque Isle.
“We just started picking a few days ago,” Robbins said. “Today’s our first day here selling.”
Robbins is part of a family-and-friends team running a seasonal fiddlehead business. They sell most of their pickings locally and also sell some to restaurants and farmers markets in locations in central and southern Maine.
“We sold probably 1,200 pounds downstate last year,” Robbins said. “It’s definitely hard work but it’s fun.”
So far the fiddleheads are looking good this year, although Robbins said this season could be shorter due to flooding on many of Aroostook River’s islands.
Last year, Robbins and other sellers were offering fresh fiddleheads through early June.
