Fiddleheads and friendship

I had a number of treats today. First, I drove to the visually stunning and fertile Annapolis Valley to visit my friend Jodi DeLong, a freelance writer, avid gardener and creator of the blog Blooming Writer. Not only did I meet her horse, 27-year-old donkey and seven cats, I was greeted by a fleet of hummingbirds. I saw one hummingbird in my garden last year, and within 10 minutes of arriving at Jodi’s had broken my lifetime record for bird spotting. A tour of her garden left me with a severe case of perennial envy. She has more varieties of daffodils than I have dandelions.

Before Jodi took me on a tour of Nova Scotia’s impressive fledgling wineries, she fed me lunch. Homemade Red River Cereal bread — baked by her husband — delicious lentil soup and a lovely cold salad of shrimp and fiddleheads. I’ve only ever had fiddleheads served hot with butter, but after this salad, I think I prefer them chilled. While the delicate pink seafood complemented the bright emerald veggies, the tightly curled greens and the curve-backed shrimp created a bowl of circles almost too pretty to eat. I just love when food naturally verges on art.

Up against fiddleheads, friendship and a hoard of friendly felines, no Iron Chef stands a chance.