Pickled fern: 7 recipes

Fern Orlyak Common (Pteridium aquilinum) – not the most decorative. It is usually bypassed by landscape designers, and planted only in the backyards. But the eagle can be eaten. And it’s delicious! Pickled fern is increasingly appearing on store shelves, but it is not cheap. Meanwhile, it can be easily prepared by yourself.

Much less than the bracken, the common ostrich (Matteuccia struthiopteris) is known as an edible plant. It is considerably larger and is often grown as an ornamental crop. The taste of these ferns is noticeably different.

What is useful pickled fern

Uncooked ferns are 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 right from the garden. Same with the fern.

And the plant has enough useful 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 up;
• stimulates metabolic processes;
• releases radionuclides.

Of course, fern salads are not a drug in and of 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.

And about the toxic substances contained in the fern, posting a 10-minute heat treatment, salting or pickling, they disintegrate.

How to Pickle Ferns

The most controversial is the period during which the young shoots of the fern must be processed after harvest. Gourmets call 3-4 hours, experts also notice that it is after such a time that rachis begin to lose useful substances and taste. After 10 hours, they will become coarse and lose their nutritional value.

fern picking

When collecting rachis, 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 nutrients is reduced to a minimum.

More often, bracken is eaten, the taste and texture of which resembles mushrooms. The ostrich is very satisfying, somewhat sweet and similar to cauliflower.

Fern preparation for cooking

Whatever the hostess does from the fern – a dish of fresh shoots, salted or pickled for the winter, rachis need to be prepared. They are soaked for 2-3 hours in cold salted water, changing the liquid several times so that bitterness and some of the harmful substances come out. Then boiled.

It is not necessary 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 boil the shoots for 10 minutes. But this is an average figure, rachis should be constantly tried. Their density depends on the conditions in which the fern grew, the weather in spring and many other factors. You may need to boil the shoots for 2 or 5 minutes.

Rakhis are thrown into salted boiling water, waiting for it to boil again, drained, washed. Then bring to the desired state in a new portion of brine. They recline in a colander, and prepare a fresh dish or a dish intended for winter storage.

How to cook pickled fern for the winter from fresh shoots

You can cook pickled fern according to different recipes. Classic is the easiest.

1. Rakhis are soaked in salted water for 2-3 hours, boiled for 3 minutes, rinsed, folded into a colander.
2. Lay out 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 – sugar, 50 ml of vinegar.
5. Boil the marinade, pour the fern.
6. Roll up, turn over, wrap.

How to pickle fern for the winter with sunflower oil

The fern is pickled for the winter with sunflower oil – the method is not much more complicated than the previous one, and the taste is different. So you can choose a recipe that you like more.

1. Pre-soaked shoots are boiled in a large amount of salted water for 5 minutes. Washed and discarded in a colander.
2. Sterilize 500 gram jars.
3. A bay leaf and 4-5 black peppercorns are placed at the bottom of each.
4. Rakhis are laid 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 with a slide of salt and 60 ml of vinegar (6%).
7. In a separate saucepan, bring a glass of refined vegetable oil to a boil.
   Important! Brine and calcined butter do not combine!
8. First, freshly boiled marinade is poured into jars, hot oil is poured on top.
9. Banks are rolled up, turned over and insulated.

Fern marinated for the winter with garlic

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

• salt – 2 Art. l .;
• sugar – 1 st. l .;
• vinegar essence – 1 tsp;
• garlic;
• peas and black pepper, bay leaf, dill – to taste.

Everyone should calculate the amount of garlic for themselves. If we marinate the fern for the first time, you can focus on eggplant recipes.

What can be cooked from pickled fern

Usually 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 immediately.

The first, classic recipe, is considered a semi-finished product. Rachis can be soaked in water, or simply drain the marinade and use for cooking hot dishes, salads, soups.

How to store pickled fern

In a private house there is always a cellar or basement – there they store jars of pickled ferns along with other blanks. 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 Ferns

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

For salad take:

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

Marinade products:

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

Start cooking:

1. Rakhis are boiled for 5 minutes.
2. Cut into pieces of desired size.
3. Carrots are peeled and rubbed on a coarse grater.
4. Onions are freed from covering scales and cut into half rings.
5. Sprinkled with sesame oil.
6. Throw on a sieve or colander to drain the fat.
7. The ingredients are mixed, poured with hot marinade.
8. Allow to cool, put in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Salad ready. If necessary, it can be salted.

Pickled Fern Salads

There are many recipes that include pickled ferns. In principle, rachis can simply replace mushrooms.

Bracken fern with onion

First, marinated rachis are soaked. How much, each hostess must determine for herself. Someone likes savory dishes, and they will be limited to 10-20 minutes. Those who are on a diet can soak the shoots for a day or more.

Ingredients:

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

Preparation:

1. Onions are cut into half rings, rachis – into pieces of arbitrary size.
2. Oil is heated in a frying pan.
3. First, the onion is fried, then the fern is added.
4. Cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes.
5. Sour cream mixed with flour is poured over the contents of the pan.
6. Put in an oven preheated to 200 ° for 20-30 minutes.

Pickled fern salad with meat

If this dish is served hot, it acts as a second course, cold – salad. It is important to soak the pickled rachis to such an extent that they become completely insipid. To do this, often change the water.

The number of ingredients will not be indicated – it is arbitrary, and depends only on the taste of the hostess, her household or guests. Someone likes a lot of meat, someone prefers crispy rachis, and other ingredients are needed only for flavor.

1. Cut the beef into thin slices, marinate in a mixture of black pepper, vegetable oil and soy sauce.
   Important! Do not salt!
2. Cut the rachis into pieces 4-5 cm long.
3. In a frying pan heated with vegetable oil, sauté the onion cut into half rings. Put with a slotted spoon into a separate bowl.
4. Turn on a strong fire 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 rachis should remain slightly crispy!
6. Add onion and soy sauce.
7. Stir, turn off the fire.

After 5 minutes, it can be served as a hot appetizer, or completely cooled and used as a salad.

Fern marinated with soy sauce and garlic

This salad will turn out 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;
• red ground pepper – 1/4 tsp;
• sauce soy – 70 ml;
• garlic – 1 head (or to taste).

Preparation:

1. Soak the rachis and boil for two minutes. Throw away in a colander.
2. Combine all ingredients in a clean bowl. Squeeze the garlic with a press.
3. Mix well. Infuse for several hours.

Fern Srtausnik with stew

Most recipes are for bracken fern. The ostrich remained undeservedly deprived of attention. Meanwhile, it is also delicious. It is only necessary to take into account that ostrich dishes are very satisfying.

1. Soak the fern and boil for 5-8 minutes. If the rachis are very young, you can limit yourself to 3-4 minutes.
2. Rinse with cold water and let the liquid drain.
3. Peel onions and carrots, chop randomly, fry until soft.
4. Let the fern in separately. The ostrich can be considered ready when its volume is reduced by half, and the color becomes grayish-green.
5. Combine the fern with vegetables, add the stew (remove the fat beforehand).
6. Add a tablespoon of tomato paste, mix, heat well in a 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 arbitrarily, adjusting to her own tastes. Enjoy your meal!