Bracken fern is known not only as an ornamental plant, but also as a necessary ingredient for the preparation of many dishes. Bracken salads and garnishes are extremely rich in nutrients, and they taste like wild mushrooms.
Among Russian lovers of tasty and healthy food, there are many dishes that can be prepared from bracken fern, but this plant is most popular in salted form. The fern, prepared by a skilled hostess, tastes excellent and is a wonderful and nutritious snack for any meal. The most popular among the people are two ways of salting bracken shoots.
Method one
Thanks to this method, the bracken fern can remain salted for 1-2 years. For salting you will need: actually the leaves of the miracle plant itself, salt, water and glass jars.
First you need to prepare the fern by removing brown scales from the plant, which may be present in coiled spirals. The best way to do this is to boil the plant in salt water for fifteen minutes and then rinse it under running water.
After thoroughly rinsing the bracken, it should be placed in dense layers in sterilized jars. Having prepared a saline solution (15 grams of salt per 1 liter of water), pour it over the bracken and roll it up. Jars with rolled fern must be turned upside down and left to cool. After the dish has cooled down, you can eat it.
Method two
The second method of salting bracken fern is popularly called dry. The cooking recipe is quite simple.
A certain amount of fresh bracken must be thoroughly rinsed, then put in layers in a bowl for salting. Each layer of fern must be sprinkled with salt. The calculation of salt is 2 kg per 5 kg of plant. After adding salt, put the dish under pressure. For these purposes, you can use a jar filled with water. After keeping the fern shoots in a cool and dry room for three weeks, it is necessary to drain the resulting juice, transfer them to glass jars and add more salt: for 5 kg of bracken - 1 kg of salt. With this salting method, the sample can be taken after about three weeks.
Note to the hostess: bracken fern is suitable not only for salting, but also for cooking meat dishes, soups, salads and side dishes. In addition to being eaten, this plant is often used as a medicinal plant. In particular, infusions and decoctions from bracken are taken for diseases of the endocrine system, for pain in the stomach, hemorrhoids, diathesis, bronchitis, ear pain and stomach ulcers.
