A sure sign of spring in New York City is the arrival of fiddlehead ferns and ramps in the Union Square Greenmarket. Through the wet, gray winter I’d pined for those first green leaves’ arrival, and nearly leaped for joy when I finally spotted them some late April morning on the way to my old corporate job.

Alas, I’m not in New York City anymore, but out in the Berkshires, where spindly trees are exploding with green buds all around me, and where you’d think finding something like fiddlehead ferns and ramps would be as easy as sauntering into the nearest forest and plucking them right up out of the ground.

And it just may be that easy — if I knew where they grew. But if there’s one thing I learned from living out here, it’s that that kind of local knowledge takes time. Unlike the city, out here there are no faded flyers posted to neighborhood telephone poles announcing a meeting of the forager’s society. There’s no word on the street that ramps have started poking up in wherever-it-is-that-ramps-grow. (If there is word on the street about such things, I’m not privy to it.)

So I was delighted when I spotted some local fiddleheads in a basket at the co-op, and greedily gathered fistfuls of them while pestering the produce manager about a source for local ramps. The fiddleheads languished in the refrigerator for a day while I schemed about what to do with them, but ultimately it seems that simple is best when it comes to fresh spring greens, so I tossed them together with some of my garden herbs and pasta. (I’m still working on the ramps.)

Herby Fiddlehead Ferns & Orechiette

1 tbs. olive oil
1 tbs. butter
1 shallot, minced
1 tbs. each tarragon and thyme, chopped (I used half lemon thyme, half regular thyme; you can use whatever fresh herbs you have on hand, really)
1/4 c. parsley, chopped
2 c. fiddlehead ferns
1/2 lb. orechiette pasta
shaved parmesan cheese (the best you can get)
1 tsp. lemon juice (the juice from about a half-moon quarter slice)
salt and pepper to taste

Set a large pot of salted water to boil. In the meantime, rinse the fiddleheads, making sure to remove any brown bits. Trim the brown edge from their tails. When the water comes to a boil, toss the fiddleheads in and boil for 2 -3 minutes, until bright green. Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the fiddlheads, drain, and set aside. Add the pasta to the water and cook until just al dente, or according to package directions.

While the pasta is cooking, place the butter and olive oil in a large sautee pan over medium-low heat. When the butter is melted and beginning to foam, add the shallots and cook for a few minutes, or until the shallots begin releasing a really great aroma. Throw in the herbs and cook for a few minutes more, stirring occasionally to be sure nothing sticks or burns. Just before the pasta is ready, add the parboiled ferns to the sautee pan and stir. Drain the pasta and add to the sautee pan, stirring to coat everything. Toss with lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste.

Ladle each serving into a large bowl and top with freshly shaved parmesan cheese and cracked pepper.

Makes 4 small servings, or two big ones, depending on how hungry you are.