During May, you can find fiddleheads
at grocery stores, or
roadside stands, or,
if you know someone who knows a place,
you can pick your own.
Fiddleheads are the early sprouts of a fern
found only in certain places, at certain times,
in northern New England.
Curled-up fronds, they resemble the business end
of a fiddle.
They taste a bit like asparagus, a bit like artichoke,
and wholly like the arrival of spring.

Rinse them clean of brown husks,
break off the stems,
boil them for about fifteen minutes,
and serve them with::

salt, pepper, butter, and vinegar, to taste
raspberry viniagrette
Hollandaise sauce
aioli sauce
orange sauce
lemon butter

or whatever your imagination
and cooking ability can come up with.