Fiddlehead Ferns, Lobster Omelettes and Pepere

Imagine the sounds of laughter, the music of the French language and the smells of regional cooking as you're looking at these images.

That should transport you to the Dieppe Market in the heart of Acadian country in this part of the Canadian Maritimes.

It's the end of the fiddlehead fern season here, and these delicacies were having their last showing at many of the market booths. They're young, unfurled ostrich fern, found in sandy soil along the river banks in spring. You simply snip the ends off to discard, then stir fry the unfurled heads in oil or butter with a little salt. Ask a real Acadian ( I'm only half ) and I'm sure you'll get a book full of recipes.

The lobster omelette I photographed is the kind we've been enjoying at the long market tables for a number of years. I'm not sure if you can tell by the photo, but it's a heaping helping of lobster tucked in that egg.

And also in the enjoyment category, the last photo is a "pepere" enjoying his little red haired granddaughter. I couldn't resist capturing that kind of joy........in any language.