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Man has learned to use almost all the gifts of nature for a specific purpose. Many of them are edible, while others have healing properties. But there are also those that are used both in cooking and in folk medicine. A great example is the bracken fern. When fresh, it has an unusual taste, somewhat reminiscent of a mushroom, and a composition rich in vitamins and microelements. But like all plants, it is available in fresh form only during a certain period. In this regard, people have learned to prepare bracken fern for the winter using different methods in order to preserve all its beneficial properties.
Harvesting bracken fern for the winter
At the beginning of May, rachis, the so-called fern sprouts, begin to appear from the ground. They are petioles with a snail-shaped tip. Their growth occurs quite quickly. In just 5-6 days the sprouts straighten and leaves begin to appear.The appearance of the first leaves means that the plant becomes unsuitable for harvesting. Therefore, the most suitable time for collecting and harvesting bracken fern is considered to be the period from the appearance of sprouts to the first leaves, approximately at the 3rd-4th stage of growth.
Sprouts that are collected for the purpose of harvesting for the winter should be no more than 30 cm, and during collection, the sprout should not be cut close to the ground, but about 5 cm from it. After harvesting, the rachis are sorted by color and length. The sorted sprouts are collected in bunches, aligned at the top. Then the bundles are tied and the ends are trimmed straight. The shelf life in bundles after collection should not exceed 10 hours. To preserve all the beneficial and tasteful qualities, it is recommended to harvest for the winter no later than 2-3 hours after collection.
You can prepare bracken fern yourself for the winter by drying, pickling and freezing. Industrial harvesting of bracken fern in Russia is carried out by salting it. This method, when stored in a refrigerator, allows you to preserve all nutritional qualities for up to 12 months.
How to dry bracken fern
Drying bracken fern is a good way to prepare this product and preserve all its taste for a long time. For this process, fleshy and dense shoots up to 20 cm in length are selected. They are first boiled for about 8 minutes in salted water. The ratio of water to the mass of fern petioles should be at least 4:1, since bitterness will come out of the sprouts.
After cooking, the shoots are placed in a colander and doused with cold water. Then they begin further preparation.Drying can be done naturally in the fresh air or in an electric dryer.
How to air dry
Drying naturally is a long process, taking from 3 to 5 days at normal humidity. And they perform it according to the following algorithm:
- After heat treatment, the bracken fern is given a little time to cool, and also for all the liquid to drain.
- The cooled rakhis are laid out in a thin layer on craft paper, fabric or stretched fine mesh in a well-ventilated, dry place.
- The petioles that begin to dry out are periodically turned over and lightly kneaded.
- After complete drying, the dried bracken fern is transferred to fabric bags and hung to normalize the humidity.
Drying in an electric dryer
Drying in electric dryers is a faster way to prepare products. Just as in the case of natural drying, after cooking the petioles are allowed to cool and dry slightly. Afterwards, they are laid out on an electric dryer tray in an even layer and sent to dry at a temperature of +50 degrees for 6 hours.
During drying, it is important to monitor the condition of the fern, because it is better to slightly underdry it than to overdry it. It should also be taken into account that the drying time directly depends on the thickness of the petioles.
After drying is completed, the sprouts are poured into bags made of thick fabric and hung to dry in a warm, dry place.
Determining Product Readiness
It is easy to determine the readiness of the product during drying. Properly dried bracken fern has a characteristic odor for this plant.Its color can range from light brown to dark brown with a green tint. To the touch, its stems are elastic and quite dry. If the stem breaks when pressed, this means that the fern may have dried out.
Storage rules
Depending on the humidity of the room, methods for storing dried fern vary. If the room where you plan to store this product is dry enough and with a humidity of no higher than 70%, then this can be done in fabric bags, cardboard boxes or craft paper bags. At higher humidity, it is necessary to place dried rachis in a container that is hermetically sealed, for example, in a glass jar or plastic container.
When dried, bracken fern can be stored for up to 2 years at stable humidity.
How to pickle bracken at home
In addition to drying, you can prepare bracken fern by pickling it. There are many ways to pickle petioles at home for the winter. At the same time, for preparation you can use both fresh, only collected rakhis, and salted ones.
If you want to prepare fresh bracken fern petioles by pickling, then they must first be boiled in a large amount of salted water for no more than 10 minutes. Before pickling, the salted product must be thoroughly rinsed and soaked for 5-6 hours in cold water to remove excess salt.
Bracken fern, pickled for the winter in jars
When marinating fresh rachis for the winter in jars, they are first boiled in a large amount of water, then you can begin the harvesting process itself.
Ingredients:
- bracken fern – 1 bunch;
- water – 1 l;
- table vinegar – 1 tsp;
- salt – 2 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 1 tbsp. l.;
- peppercorns - to taste;
- ground pepper - to taste;
- bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.
Harvesting method:
- Prepare the jar, wash it thoroughly and sterilize it.
- The boiled fern is placed in a colander, washed under cold running water and the excess liquid is allowed to drain.
- Place the petioles in a jar and begin preparing the marinade.
- Pour water into the pan, add salt, sugar, pepper, bay leaf and add vinegar.
- Bring everything to a boil and pour it into a jar, roll up the lid.
- The jar is turned over and wrapped in a towel or blanket. Leave it like this until it cools completely.
How to pickle bracken with garlic
There is also the option of pickling bracken with garlic and soy sauce. In this way, an amazing snack is prepared, suitable for consumption without additional manipulation. For preparation you will need:
- fern cuttings – 1 kg;
- soy sauce – 3 tbsp. l.;
- apple cider vinegar – 2 tbsp. l.;
- sugar – 2 tsp;
- salt – 0.5 tsp;
- garlic – 1 head;
- vegetable oil – 4 tbsp. l.;
- ground red pepper – 1 tsp.
Marinating method:
- First, boil the fern rachis in salted water for about 8-10 minutes. Then they are transferred to a colander and washed under running water.
- The garlic is peeled and passed through a garlic press.
- Heat vegetable oil in a frying pan and add ground red pepper to it, mix thoroughly.
- Place bracken fern petioles into a deep container, preferably an enamel pan, and pour hot oil and pepper over it. Then soy sauce, vinegar.
- Then add sugar and salt. Add chopped garlic.
- Mix everything thoroughly, cover with a lid and place in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours.
How to make pickled bracken from salted
To pickle salted bracken, you can use the carrot recipe.
Ingredients:
- salted fern – 300 g;
- water – 100 ml;
- onion – 1 pc.;
- carrots – 200 g;
- sesame oil – 20 ml;
- vinegar 9% – 20 ml;
- sugar – 30 g.
Marinating method:
- The salted fern is washed and soaked for about 6 hours in cold water, changing it periodically.
- After soaking, the petioles are transferred to a saucepan and boiled in clean water for about 5 minutes. Then they are thrown into a colander and washed.
- Boiled sprouts are cut into small pieces.
- The carrots are peeled, washed and grated on a Korean carrot grater.
- The onion is also peeled and cut into half rings.
- Fry the onion in sesame oil until golden brown. Leave to cool and drain off excess oil.
- Fern is combined with fried onions and carrots. Start the marinade.
- Vinegar and sugar are diluted in 100 ml of water and stirred until completely dissolved.
- Pour the marinade over the mixture of ingredients, mix, cover with a lid and place under a press. Place in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours.
Storage rules
Bracken fern prepared in jars by pickling can be stored for up to a year at temperatures below 0. This should be done in a dark place. It is important that the rakhis in the jars are completely covered with marinade.
If we talk about marinade with garlic, then the shelf life is reduced, the same is the case with pickling salted fern. After all, these options are considered preparing a ready-to-eat snack.
How to Freeze Bracken Fern
In addition to drying and pickling, bracken can be prepared by freezing.The freezing process is no different in complexity from drying; it is performed as follows:
- Fern rachises of approximately the same color and size are selected. They are washed and cut into pieces convenient for subsequent preparation.
- Then the chopped petioles are carefully lowered into boiling water.
- Blanch for about 8 minutes and drain in a colander.
- Rinse under running water and leave in a colander until it cools completely and excess liquid drains.
- The cooled fern is transferred into portioned food bags. The bags are closed and sent to the freezer.
When frozen, the petioles can be stored all winter without loss of quality.
Rules of application
Depending on the method of preparation for storage, bracken fern has its own nuances in preparation for cooking.
A dried product for consumption must first be reconstituted. To do this, pour boiling water over the desired amount of dried fern and leave for 6-8 hours. Afterwards, you need to drain the water and rinse the petioles with running water. When washing, it is advisable to remove the curled leaves and leave only the stems for cooking. Before cooking, they must be boiled for 8 minutes and cooled. After this procedure, the fern is ready for use.
Pickled bracken fern is considered ready to eat. No manipulation required. A salty product, in turn, requires additional soaking. This should be done for at least 7 hours. After soaking, the petioles need to be boiled for 5-8 minutes and then eaten.
The prepared product by freezing also requires preliminary preparation. It should be removed from the freezer 2-3 hours before cooking, then boiled for 5 minutes.Then rinse and cool. Some recommend not thawing frozen fern, but immediately immersing it in boiling water. But it is worth noting that when lowering the frozen product, the temperature of the water will drop and it will take time to boil again. Long-term cooking can adversely affect the quality of the product.
Conclusion
You can prepare your own bracken fern for the winter in different ways. All of them allow you to preserve the nutritional quality of this product. It is worth noting that bracken shoots are highly valued for their ability to remove toxins and radionuclides from the body. Therefore, the procurement of bracken fern in Russia for 2018 occupies one of the leading positions and has its own strict requirements for obtaining a quality product.
