Tis the season to get in the woods and pick edible greens. Fiddleheads (or crosses de fougères in French) are a  delicious vegetables full of vitamins. They must be picked while they are still completely rolled up, and only the curled part is eaten.  They are mostly found in woods close to creeks and the earlier they are picked, the better.  They are worth a Sunday outing as they are very expensive in stores as they do not keep well. Best to cut them up with scissors, then wash them thoroughly and remove all brown parts. Cook them 6 minutes in  lots of boiling salted water, drain them and rinse them again.

 Also, shell the Fava beans and cook them 2 minutes in salted boiling water, rinse under cold water and remove the peels. If you pierce the other end, the beans will slide out of the peel easily by pressing at the germ end.

To make the salad, start a pan with 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat and sauté the beans and fiddleheads together for 2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp balsamic, 1 tbsp Dijon grainy mustard, 3 sliced green onions, the juice of half a lemon and stir well. Serve in a plate decorated with Campari tomatoes. Add fresh ground pepper!

Goat cheese is a nice addition and maybe pine nuts. If you can’t find fresh fava, frozen Edamame beans are a good substitute.