Postcard Painting #6: Fiddlehead Ferns

... a loose interpretation of fiddlehead ferns I bought at the co-op specifically to paint. (At $18/pound, I only bought a few).

 [recipe at end]

Yesterday afternoon I spent a couple hours painting a fairly realistic version of one fiddlehead, but it turned into a muddy mess.
So I threw that one out and quickly painted this one.

 I love this one as a design. I also love that I could whip this painting out quickly because I had already spent two hours staring at a fiddlehead.

That's like one of the benefits I notice at midlife:
on the one hand, I can't canter around the playground like I did in fifth grade;
on the other hand, it often doesn't take me as long to do things because I have a large data bank of experience.

P.S. HOW TO COOK Fiddlehead Ferns (with browned butter)

1. Bring a pan of water and a sprinkle of salt to a boil. 
Prepare a bowl half-filled with ice water. 
Simmer the fiddleheads into the pot of boiling water for 1 minute. 

2. Drain the fiddleheads in a colander, then plunk in the ice water until completely cool. Drain the fiddleheads again, and wrap them in a kitchen towel to dry.

3.  Brown butter: melt in a heavy-bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring gently. Watch carefully until brown flecks start to form. Remove from heat right away (butter burns easily).

4. Add the fiddleheads to brown butter. Set pan on on low heat, and toss fiddleheads gently for a minute or two until they are warm. 
Serve immediately.