Eating New England Trivia Quiz

Answer: fiddlehead ferns

Ostrich ferns, or fiddleheads, should be picked early in the Spring, usually in April, when the heads are tightly curled, looking much like the head of a bass fiddle. They can be eaten raw, steamed or boiled. They are found on the edges of swamps, rivers and in woodlands.

Answer: Jerusalem artichoke

The Jerusalem artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) produces a tuber which can be cooked like a potato. They can also be fermented and distilled into a type of brandy, but that is more common in Europe than in America. The plants can grow to 3 meters in height and will take over a garden area if not closely cultivated.

Answer: Beach plum

The Beach plum is a deciduous shrub, 2 to 4 meters high, and a member of the Prunus genus. It grows along the Atlantic coast from Maine to Maryland. It's fruit is about half the size of cultivated plums. If you are fortunate enough to own beachfront property, you could plant Beach plum shrubs along your property lines and have an edible border.

Answer: Staghorn sumac

Many people automatically think of poison sumac when the name is mentioned but most species are benign. Several species of the Rhus genus will provide a tasty drink. The beverage made by soaking the berry clusters in cold water can be warmed to be served as a tea or chilled to produce a lemonade.

It is sometimes called Indian tea, so you have an idea that it was popular long before Europeans landed in North America.

Answer: corn

Related to grasses, corn, specifically maize, is a useful and plentiful grain that grows worldwide. The corn the Pilgrims were introduced to was not sweet corn but one used to make meal and provide a starchy substance.

Answer: hickory nuts

American Indians grew hickory tree orchards for their nuts. Along with other nuts, the Indians and the white settlers used them for a foodstuff and dried and pounded them into a flour to thicken breads and stews. The Indians also added hickory-nut flour to dried bear or deer meat and boiled it; when cooled it made a liquid baby food.

Answer: blueberry

The winner here is the blueberry. It tastes good and it really is good for you. It can be turned into juice, jam, used in pies or eaten fresh. Highbush blueberries (Vaccinium corymbosum) grow near water; if you have some of those 2 meter bushes you can gather your berries without having to stoop over!

Answer: Groundnut

The Apios americana, known as the groundnut or Indian potato, produces a small tuber on its roots that is tasty, very nutritious and known for its starch and protein content. The Indian potato nickname is an indication that this is another food that was important to the Native American diet.

Answer: cranberries

Cranberries originally grew in wetlands. Now they are grown in beds that are wet but not boggy. When the berries are ripe (September to November) a mechanical harvester loosens them from the plant. Then the beds are flooded and the berries float to the top where they can be netted or siphoned. They are quite tart, so a sweetener is usually added to the sauce, jam or juice.

Answer: sugar maple

The sugar maple (Acer saccharum) is the king of the northern American forest. A very hard wood, it is used to make furniture that lasts for generations. Under proper conditions, its leaf colors in Autumn make the mountains look as if they are on fire. Somehow, Native Americans found that the tree's sap could be boiled down to a very sweet syrup. Maple syrup became so important to the economy of the U.S. state of Vermont that the University of Vermont established a research center to learn as much as possible about the tree and its sap and syrup. New Englanders just know that pancakes and waffles wouldn't be the same without maple syrup.