Bill To Prohibit Collecting Maine Fiddleheads Without Permission

The calender says that spring begins March 20, but in Maine, we know that what the calender says and what Mother Nature wants are often two different things. One sign of spring in Maine is the sprouting of wild fiddleheads. Many Mainers enjoy fiddleheads and pick and sell them for additional income.

Maine state Rep. Russell Black, Republican of Wilton, is sponsoring the bill LD 421 'An Act To Prohibit the Unauthorized Harvesting of Wild Mushrooms and Fiddleheads,' which was before the Legislature's Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Committee this week.

The bill is designed to deter those who are making money by taking wild crops from a private landowner.

Several lawmakers seemed skeptical during the committee that there was a problem with people picking wild food from private property.

The committee will take up the bill again later this month to decide on its recommendation to the full legislature.

Have you tried fiddleheads? How do you cook them? And do you think there is a need for this law?