River Valley Scenic Route, New Brunswick, Canada - Philatelic Photographs on Waymarking.com

In 1998, Canada Post issued its second set of stamps depicting scenic highways. This stamp in particular celebrates New Brunswick’s River Valley Scenic Drive. This route stretches over 500 kilometers as it follows the St. John River from Edmundston through Fredericton to St. John. Different provincial routes are followed along the way; among these are 144, 130, 105 and 102.

The St. John River Valley was settled primarily by Loyalists after the American Revolution and this drive is as much a cultural and historic tour as it is scenic. The official New Brunswick tourism website recommends 3-4 days for the full experience. The route also passes by the Hartland covered bridge – the longest covered bridge in the world and another philatelic photograph opportunity.

Also shown on the stamp are fiddleheads. These are the young shoots of various ferns before the fronds have completely unfurled. They are so named because they resemble the top of a violin. Fiddleheads were gathered and eaten by the native peoples in the area for generations and later introduced to the Loyalist settlers. They have become so much a part of the culinary culture of the area that even the highway shields that denote the River Valley Scenic Drive show a picture of one. In this area, it is the ostrich fern that is the primary source of fiddleheads but other varieties such as the lady fern or shield fern are edible as well.

Fiddleheads are often described as a “delicacy.” I generally steer clear of “delicacies” (considering them right up there with “acquired tastes”) but I tried fiddleheads once…emphasis on the “once.” Let’s just say it didn’t change my opinion of “delicacies.” But there’s no accounting for taste so don’t strike a plate full of fiddleheads off your bucket list on account of my experience.

Stamp Issuing Country: Canada Date of Issue: 28-Jul-1998 Denomination: 45 cents Color: multicolored Stamp Type: Single Stamp Relevant Web Site: [Web Link]

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/06/2023 petendot visited it