Pickled fern: 7 recipes

Common bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is not the most decorative. It is usually avoided by landscape designers, and is planted only in the backyards. But you can eat bracken. And it's delicious! Pickled fern is increasingly appearing on store shelves, but it is not cheap. Meanwhile, you can easily prepare it yourself.

Much smaller than the bracken, the Common Ostrich (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is known as an edible plant. It is much larger and is often grown as an ornamental crop. The taste of these ferns is noticeably different.

What are the benefits of pickled fern?

Uncooked fern is poisonous. You just need to take this into account and not be afraid or refuse the product.Olives, potatoes and most wild mushrooms are not eaten raw. If you think carefully, you can make a long list of products that are familiar to everyone, which simply would not occur to anyone to eat straight from the garden. Same with ferns.

And the plant has enough beneficial properties. And although rhizomes are used as medicinal raw materials, young shoots contain:

• glutamic and aspartic acids;
• tyrosine;
• leucine;
• carotene;
• riboflavin;
• tocopherol;
• a nicotinic acid;
• potassium;
• calcium;
• magnesium;
• manganese;
• copper;
• sulfur;
• phosphorus.

But the main value of rachis (young shoots) lies in the high content of proteins, easily digestible by the body, and iodine.

Regular consumption of dishes containing fern:

• has a beneficial effect on the nervous system;
• helps fight iodine deficiency;
• tones;
• stimulates metabolic processes;
• removes radionuclides.

Of course, salads with fern are not a medicine in themselves. They are not recommended for pregnant women and preschool children, and people who have never eaten rachis before should start with small portions. By the way, this applies to any unfamiliar food.

As for the toxic substances contained in the fern, after 10 minutes of heat treatment, salting or pickling, they disintegrate.

How to pickle fern

The most controversial issue is the period during which young fern shoots should be processed after harvest. Gourmets call it 3-4 hours, experts also note that it is after this time that rachis begins to lose its beneficial substances and taste. After 10 hours they will become coarse and lose their nutritional value.

Fern collection

When collecting rakhis, it is important not to miss the moment. They are harvested when the leaves have already begun to separate, but have not yet blossomed, along with the shoots. At this time, the rachis look like hooks, have a dark green color, and break when bent. As soon as the shoots become flexible, the collection is stopped - they are no longer suitable for food, and the content of useful substances is reduced to a minimum.

Bracken, whose taste and consistency resembles mushrooms, is most often eaten. Ostrich is very filling, somewhat sweet and similar to cauliflower.

Preparing ferns for cooking

Whatever the housewife makes from fern - a dish of fresh shoots, salted or pickled for the winter, rachis need to be prepared. They are soaked in cold salted water for 2-3 hours, changing the liquid several times to remove the bitterness and some of the harmful substances. Then boil it.

There is no need to turn the fern into unappetizing rags; it is enough that it bends easily, but remains quite dense. Ideally, the consistency of the rachis should be the same as that of the legs of pickled mushrooms.

It is believed that it is enough to cook the shoots for 10 minutes. But this is an average figure; you need to constantly try rakhis. Their density depends on the conditions in which the fern grew, the weather in the spring and many other factors. You may need to boil the shoots for 2 or 5 minutes.

The rakhis are thrown into salted boiling water, wait until it boils again, drained, and washed. Then it is brought to the desired state in a new portion of brine.Place in a colander and prepare a fresh dish or one intended for winter storage.

How to prepare pickled fern for the winter from fresh shoots

You can prepare pickled fern according to different recipes. Classic is the simplest.

1. Rakhis are soaked in salted water for 2-3 hours, boiled for 3 minutes, rinsed, and drained in a colander.
2. Place in sterile jars.
3. Fill with clean water to measure the required volume of liquid.
4. For 1 liter of water take 1 tablespoon of salt, 3 of sugar, 50 ml of vinegar.
5. Boil the marinade and pour in the fern.
6. They roll it up, turn it over, wrap it up.

How to pickle fern for the winter with sunflower oil

Ferns are also pickled for the winter with sunflower oil - the method is not much more complicated than the previous one, but the taste is different. This way you can choose the recipe you like best.

1. Pre-soaked shoots are boiled in plenty of salted water for 5 minutes. Rinse and drain in a colander.
2. Sterilize 500 gram jars.
3. Place a bay leaf and 4-5 black peppercorns at the bottom of each.
4. The rachis are placed tightly.
5. Fill the jars with clean water to measure the approximate volume of the marinade.
6. Boil brine from 1 liter of water, 4 tbsp. l sugar, 1 heaped salt and 60 ml vinegar (6%).
7. In a separate saucepan, bring a glass of refined vegetable oil to a boil.
   Important! Brine and calcined oil do not mix!
8. First, freshly boiled marinade is poured into the jars, with hot oil on top.
9. The cans are rolled up, turned over and insulated.

Fern pickled for the winter with garlic

Those who love spicy salads can roll up rachis with garlic for the winter.The cooking process itself is no different from the first recipe, the only difference is in the marinade. For a liter of water take and boil:

• salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
• sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
• vinegar essence – 1 tsp;
• garlic;
• peppercorns and black pepper, bay leaf, dill - to taste.

Everyone must calculate the amount of garlic for themselves. If we are pickling fern for the first time, you can rely on recipes with eggplants.

What can you make from pickled fern?

Typically, fern marinated with garlic or oil is considered a ready-made snack. You can optionally add onions, fresh or sautéed carrots, or garnish with herbs and eat right away.

The first, classic recipe, is considered a semi-finished product. Rakhis can be soaked in water, or simply drained off the marinade and used for preparing hot dishes, salads, and soups.

How to store pickled fern

In a private house there is always a cellar or basement - this is where jars of pickled fern are stored along with other preparations. Residents of city apartments can put a small number of containers in the refrigerator. If you have prepared a lot of rachis, but there are no utility rooms, then the jars are placed in a cool place, deprived of light.

How to pickle salted fern

Everything is very simple. First, the salted fern is washed, then soaked in plenty of clean cold water for at least 6 hours. The fluid is constantly changed.

For the salad take:

• salted fern – 500 g;
• carrots – 200 g;
• onion – 100 g;
• sesame oil – 20 g.

Products for marinade:

• water – 125 ml;
• sugar – 1 tbsp. l;
• vinegar (9%) – 1 tbsp. l.

Start preparing the dish:

1. Rakhis are cooked for 5 minutes.
2. Cut into pieces of the required size.
3. The carrots are peeled and grated on a coarse grater.
4. The onion is freed from covering scales and cut into half rings.
5. Poached in sesame oil.
6. Place in a sieve or colander to drain the fat.
7. The ingredients are mixed and poured with hot marinade.
8. Allow to cool and place in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Salad ready. If necessary, it can be salted.

Pickled fern salads

There are many recipes that include pickled fern. In principle, you can simply replace mushrooms with rakhis.

Bracken fern with bow

First, soak the pickled rakhis. How much, each housewife must determine independently. Some people like savory dishes and will limit themselves to 10-20 minutes. Those who are on a diet can soak the shoots for a day or more.

Ingredients:

• bracken fern – 500 g;
• onion – 2 large heads;
• sour cream – 120 g;
• flour – 1 tbsp. l.;
• butter (butter or vegetable) – 1 tbsp. l.

Preparation:

1. The onion is cut into half rings, the rachis into pieces of arbitrary size.
2. Heat oil in a frying pan.
3. First the onions are fried, then the fern is added.
4. Cook over low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Pour the contents of the frying pan with sour cream mixed with flour.
6. Place in an oven preheated to 200° for 20-30 minutes.

Pickled fern salad with meat

If this dish is served hot, it serves as a second course; when served cold, it serves as a salad. It is important to soak the pickled rakhis to such an extent that they become completely bland. To do this, change the water frequently.

The quantity of ingredients will not be indicated - it is arbitrary and depends only on the taste of the hostess, her household or guests. Some people like a lot of meat, others prefer crispy rakhis, and other ingredients are needed solely for flavor.

1. Cut the beef into thin slices, marinate in a mixture of black pepper, vegetable oil and soy sauce.
   Important! Don't add salt!
2. Cut the rakhis into pieces 4-5 cm long.
3. In a frying pan heated with vegetable oil, fry the onion, cut into half rings. Place with a slotted spoon in a separate bowl.
4. Turn on high heat and fry the beef for 5-10 minutes.
   Comment! If you cut the meat thickly, this time will not be enough!
5. Add fern, reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes. The rakhis should remain slightly crispy!
6. Add onion and soy sauce.
7. Stir, turn off the heat.

After 5 minutes, you can serve it as a hot appetizer, or cool completely and use it as a salad.

Fern marinated with soy sauce and garlic

This salad will be spicy and can be used as an appetizer for strong drinks. People suffering from diseases of the gastrointestinal tract are not recommended to eat.

Ingredients:

• fresh, salted or pickled rachis – 500 g;
• refined oil – 100 ml;
• ground coriander (cilantro seeds) – 1/2 tsp;
• ground red pepper – 1/4 tsp;
• soy sauce – 70 ml;
• garlic – 1 head (or to taste).

Preparation:

1. Soak the rakhis and boil for two minutes. Drain in a colander.
2. Combine all ingredients in a clean bowl. Squeeze the garlic with a press.
3. Mix well. Leave for several hours.

Fern Srtausnik with stewed meat

Most recipes are for bracken. The ostrich remained undeservedly deprived of attention. Meanwhile, it is also delicious. You just need to keep in mind that ostrich dishes turn out to be very satisfying.

1. Soak the fern and boil for 5-8 minutes. If the rachis is very young, you can limit it to 3-4 minutes.
2. Rinse with cold water and let the liquid drain.
3. Peel the onions and carrots, chop them arbitrarily, fry until soft.
4. Separately, let down the fern. The ostrich can be considered ready when its volume is reduced by half and its color turns grayish-green.
5. Combine fern with vegetables, add stew (remove fat first).
6. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste, stir, heat well in a frying pan.

Conclusion

Pickled fern is a tasty and healthy product. You just need to know how to cook it. There are a lot of recipes that every housewife can modify at will, adjusting it to her own tastes. Bon appetit!

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