Fiddle me this

Mainers across the state are currently enjoying fiddleheads, the delicacy found growing wild this time of year. A word of caution, however: undercooked fiddleheads can easily cause food poisoning. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement last week urging Mainers to clean and cook fiddleheads thoroughly before consuming – especially to those in the St. John River Valley who were affected by the recent floods. Maine CDC officials warn that floodwaters may have contaminated fiddleheads with bacteria, spilled fuel and other chemicals, and to avoid any fiddleheads that may have been affected. Regardless of where you pick them, fiddleheads should be washed carefully, and then either boiled for 10 minutes, or steamed for at least 20 minutes. If you’ve fallen ill from eating undercooked fiddleheads, call Poison Control at 800-821-5821.

To market, to market

After its smashing success last summer, the city of Bangor announced last Wednesday that the weekly Farmers Market in Pickering Square will take place again this summer. The first market was held Monday, Memorial Day, and future events will run each successive Monday from 1:30 to 5:30 p.m., through the fall. Bruce Valley of Valley Farms in Corinna will manage the market this year, which features a number of farmers, bakers and other purveyors of locally grown and made foods. Expect more freshly baked bread, goat cheese, produce, berries, jams and other wares to be added to the lineup as the season progresses. Depending on interest and availability, a Thursday market may be added later in the summer. In case of inclement weather, the market will be held in the Pickering Square parking garage. For information, call the Bangor Center Corp. at 992-4234.

Feeling crabby

The calendar says summer doesn’t start until June 21, but we Mainers know better than that; summer starts as soon as you can spend more than a few consecutive days outside without a jacket on. Another indicator that the season has changed? Your local snack bar has opened for business. Lobster rolls, fried shrimp and red hot dogs are flying out of takeout windows all over the place, from the slightly out-of-the-way Bagaduce Lunch on Route 176 in Penobscot, to the wildly popular Jordan’s Snack Bar on Route 1 in Ellsworth. Jordan’s especially has been packed nearly daily, thanks to its weekly Wednesday night cruise-ins, and its time-honored specialty – hand-picked crabmeat and Miracle Whip on a toasted hot dog bun. So make like a crab and roll – up to the window, that is, and place your order and take a number.