The scientific name of fern comes from the following words: pteron - from the Greek word for “wing”, and aquila - from the Latin word for “eagle”. The leaves of this plant really closely resemble the wing of a huge bird.
The stem of a fern grows underground. In May, young leaves are formed - fronds, at first very similar to a snail, and as they grow, they unfold and resemble a hook. The petiole of the leaf is called rachis. Fern reproduction occurs by spores.
Bracken is one of the most ancient plants on earth that has survived to this day. The opinion of scientists is that the compressed wood of the most ancient species of ferns is the main material that forms coal.
There is a belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and find the key to other people's hearts. But this is just a beautiful legend - the fern never blooms.
The protein content in bracken fern in its properties and composition is close to that of proteins in grain crops, therefore it is easily digestible. This plant has long been included in the diet of taiga inhabitants of the Far East, as well as residents of Japan and Korea. Eating bracken has a beneficial effect on growth processes, promotes the formation of the skeleton, improves metabolism, and normalizes activity nervous system, increases the body’s performance, removes radionuclides from the body, helps improve the condition endocrine system.
Different peoples of the world use fern in cooking. Salads are prepared from shoots and young leaves, and “snails” are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, they are used as seasonings for meat. Fern rachis tastes like mushrooms. Without processing, i.e. fresh, bracken is not eaten!
Composition and calorie content
The fern rhizome contains saponins, starch, alkaloids, hydrocyanic and hydrotannic acids, flavonoids, essential oils, fat and tannins. Young shoots contain a lot of vitamins, tocopherols, riboflavins, carotene and nicotinic acid.
The nutritional value of fern is as follows: proteins - 4.55 grams, fats - 0.4 grams, carbohydrates - 5.54 grams, calorie content of bracken - 34 kcal.
Bracken fern has been used in medicine for a long time. For diseases of the intestines and spleen, for diarrhea, aching joints, jaundice, for headaches and chest pains, for dry pleurisy, for noise in the ears and head, and also as a laxative, analgesic, anthelmintic and diuretic, it is recommended to use a decoction of the rhizome and fern grass.
Decoctions from the rhizome of bracken fern are also used externally. Indications for such treatment may include wounds, scrofula, eczema, and abscesses. You can take baths with an infusion of this plant for ulcers and rheumatism.
Harm and contraindications
Decoctions and infusions of bracken fern should be used with great caution. It is advisable to do so under the supervision of an experienced herbalist, since fern is a poisonous plant.
The use of bracken is contraindicated during pregnancy!
An overdose of fern can cause vomiting, nausea, headache, convulsions, dizziness, low blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakened cardiac activity and even death.
Fern - calories and properties. The benefits and harms of fern
Calorie content: 34 kcal.
Energy value of the Fern product (Ratio of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):
Proteins: 4.55 g (~18 kcal) Fats: 0.4 g (~4 kcal) Carbohydrates: 5.54 g (~22 kcal)
Energy ratio (b|w|y): 54%|11%|65%
Fern: properties
How much does Fern cost (average price per 1 kg)?
Moscow and Moscow region.350 rub.
The scientific name of this plant comes from pteron, which means “wing” in Greek, and aquila, which means “eagle” in Latin. The leaves of the fern actually somewhat resemble the wings of a huge bird. As you know, the stem of a fern grows underground, and at the end of spring fronds begin to form - young leaves that at first look like a snail, and then, growing and unfolding, resemble a hook.
This plant has long been included in the diet of Far Eastern taiga inhabitants, as well as residents of Korea and Japan. Today, domestic consumers are also showing interest in fern as a food product. By the way, the protein content in fern in its composition and properties is close to those in grain crops, and therefore this product is easily absorbed by the human body. The calorie content of fern, namely 100 grams of plant shoots, averages 34 kcal.
Different peoples of the world know and appreciate not only the beneficial properties of fern, but also its gastronomic qualities. Based on the shoots and young leaves of fern, they often prepare delicious salads, and the “snails” themselves are boiled, fried, marinated and salted for the winter, and then used as a seasoning for meat. By the way, cooked fern shoots taste somewhat like mushrooms. However, remember that ferns cannot be eaten without heat treatment.
Types of ferns
Today it is customary to distinguish about 300 genera and more than 10,000 species of ferns. The most famous and visible in the forest is the bracken fern. It is used for culinary purposes, and is also used to treat various diseases in alternative medicine.
Fern composition
It has been established that the fern (in particular, its rhizomes) contains substances such as saponins, alkaloids, starch, bracken-tannic and hydrocyanic acids, flavonoids, fat, essential oils and tannins. Meanwhile, young shoots of fern are rich in vitamins, tocopherols, riboflavin, carotene and nicotinic acid.
Benefits of fern
The medicinal benefits of bracken fern have been known for a long time. This plant is effective for diseases of the spleen and intestines, for aching joints and diarrhea, headaches and chest pains, jaundice, dry pleurisy, noise in the head and ears, and also as a laxative, analgesic, anthelmintic and diuretic. Then it is recommended to use it internally in the form of a decoction of herbs and fern rhizomes.
Harm to ferns
However, it is recommended to use infusions and decoctions of bracken fern with great caution. The fact is that this plant is poisonous, and therefore the fern is quite likely to be harmful to humans. By the way, it is completely prohibited to use it during pregnancy.
Product proportions. How many grams?
1 piece contains 25 gramsThe nutritional value
Fern - properties and applications
Medicinal and beneficial properties of fern
An inconspicuous fern... Probably, many of us, when we came to the forest to pick mushrooms, paid attention to entire plantations of forest fern, which grows wherever it pleases. But this is only at first glance.
It turns out that forest fern never grows on poor, dehydrated soils; its usual place of growth is soil rich in humus, preferably in thickets of alder or aspen. As you know, aspen is the most “disinfected” tree; it does not allow forest pests to approach it, retains green foliage the longest, and practically does not rot at the root. Consequently, forest fern also has similar disinfecting properties.
Since ancient times, in villages, especially those surrounded by small forests, fern has been used to preserve crops, as a means of repelling rodents, and for drying out attics and basements.
So I want to talk about the wonderful properties of ordinary forest fern.
When I visited my grandfather in the village for the summer, we collected bags of ferns in early August. Then I noticed that my grandfather hung fern brooms in the attic, scattered them in the cellar, and dried whole bunches for the winter. Later, while studying at the Timiryazev Academy, I took for course work theme "Ferns". Having studied many types of ferns, I came to the conclusion that several of their species actually have a beneficial effect not only on environment, but also on human health.
I will deliberately not name Latin names, I’ll just say: those same long-finned ferns that are found everywhere are a miracle cure for humans.
In August on back side Small brown spores ripen on fern leaves. This is the point where fern is suitable for treating joints and joint pain. I usually do the following procedure: I apply fern leaves with spores to the surface of the skin on the sore spot and bandage it with old cotton strips of fabric. I don't know why, but the bandage won't do. During the night the fern dries to a state of fine dust, I remove it and repeat the procedure every other day for a week. Believe it or not, after a week the joint pain is no longer even a memory!
Read also: Cohosh (photo) - cultivation and care
I tried collecting ferns for future use: the same effect. Bye in a natural way the spores did not fall off (and they disappear three months after harvesting), the fern has the same healing power.
My old friend who got inflammation of the joint fluid knee joint, was cured by fern in just a month of treatment, although before that he was limping from constant pain in his knee.
But that's not all.
In our country house During the winter, mold constantly appeared on the walls, on the floor, and especially in the attic.
The house is ordinary, a panel house, but every spring we still had to scrape off this mold, dry the house, and sometimes change the boards. And then I remembered about ferns, or rather, how my grandfather hung them all over the attic. I filled bags of three fresh leaves, didn’t even dry them, but simply lined the perimeter of the attic, laid out fern brooms on the floor and in the underground. There was still a lot left, I didn’t throw it away, I left some on the porch, and some I moved to the beds with garlic planted before winter.
In the spring I couldn’t believe my eyes: no mold anywhere, even in those places where it was, no matter how hard they fought it!
The attic is dry, clean, not a single family of mice in the underground! And literally every year in the spring I didn’t know where to go from them!
Of course, I didn’t quite believe it, I thought maybe it was an accident...
Closer to August, when fern spores began to ripen, I again visited the forest and brought some, choosing leaves with the most ripened spores. The cabbage ripened, and the caterpillars simply became insolent. I literally wrapped cabbage heads with fresh fern leaves.
I don’t know what happened there at night, but in the morning there wasn’t a single caterpillar on any of the heads of cabbage - how they disappeared! The fern stayed on the cabbage for about 2 months without removing it and the cabbage turned out great!
When I realized that fern has such miraculous powers, I just started experimenting. So, I buried the leaves that dried up after winter in the holes around raspberries, currants, and gooseberries. I noticed: there were fewer aphids, the leaves stopped curling, as if affected by the moth.
He brought fresh leaves with spores that had not yet hatched. Shredded. I note that the result was a very fragrant, heterogeneous mass. I dug it into the holes again. I'll get ahead of myself, but such a harvest is on mine berry bushes I've never seen! Raspberry without a single wormhole. Currants, even on old bushes, yielded a harvest no worse than new plantings. A year earlier, I noticed traces of scab on one gooseberry bush and wanted to dig it up, but not a trace of it remained. The gooseberries grew smooth and strong, which has not been the case for a long time.
Such success will truly make your head spin. I started using fern everywhere and everywhere, grinding up unripe leaves, and laying ripe ones with spores before winter. And then I realized that fern is not useful everywhere. So, I literally burned the plantings remontant strawberries when I covered it with ferns for the winter. Apparently, it is not useful for all plants.
In the end, I use ferns to protect beds from mice, to dry out the attic and underground. But with garden plants I try not to overdo it. Better check on small area soil, whether such fertilizing is suitable.
But in general, there is nothing more beautiful in a garden plot than plants that feel at ease in the wild.
I now grow on my plot all types of ferns that are found in our forests. This is a wonderful ornament for flower beds, ferns look amazing in single plantings on the lawn, even for decoration garden paths and park areas are perfect.
And now some tricks that are necessary for good survival of ferns in your area. Ferns take root best in the phase of unopened curled leaves, that is, fresh from the ground.
In any place where you find fern seedlings, you can safely dig up the rhizome and transfer it with a clod of earth to garden plot. Ferns love shade; there will probably be a place on the site where it needs to be planted. Add three drops of ordinary greenery to a previously prepared hole: this is necessary for general disinfection of the soil. Transfer the fern seedlings into the holes, sprinkle with soil from the place where you took it from, and compact the soil.
Do not water, do not loosen, and generally forget that your fern should grow. But when the leaves open, you can feed them a little: half a matchbox of bird droppings in a bucket of water - this is enough to throw out powerful leaves.
I would like to add that a fern transferred from its usual habitat to a garden plot may not produce spores at all. This means that something is wrong and new plants will need to be replanted.
Fern loves transplants, but responds to them very slowly, it seems, even reluctantly. In fact, you won’t even notice how ferns decorate your area.
Cut it off for winter withered leaves Ferns are not necessary at all. They are, as in natural environment, they will lie down on their own and rot during the winter, giving the top layer of soil at least a little useful microelements and nutrients.
In a word, do not be indifferent to ferns!
©A. Nevmerzhitsky, Perm
Fern
The scientific name of fern comes from the following words: pteron - from the Greek word for “wing”, and aquila - from the Latin word for “eagle”. The leaves of this plant really closely resemble the wing of a huge bird.
The stem of a fern grows underground. In May, young leaves are formed - fronds, at first very similar to a snail, and as they grow, they unfold and resemble a hook. The petiole of the leaf is called rachis. Fern reproduction occurs by spores.
Bracken is one of the most ancient plants on earth that has survived to this day. The opinion of scientists is that the compressed wood of the most ancient species of ferns is the main material that forms coal.
There is a belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and find the key to other people's hearts. But this is just a beautiful legend - the fern never blooms.
The protein content in bracken fern in its properties and composition is close to that of proteins in grain crops, therefore it is easily digestible. This plant has long been included in the diet of taiga inhabitants of the Far East, as well as residents of Japan and Korea. Eating bracken has a beneficial effect on growth processes, promotes the formation of the skeleton, improves metabolism, normalizes the activity of the nervous system, increases the body's performance, removes radionuclides from the body, and helps improve the condition of the endocrine system.
Different peoples of the world use fern in cooking. Salads are prepared from shoots and young leaves, and “snails” are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, they are used as seasonings for meat. Fern rachis tastes like mushrooms. Without processing, i.e. fresh, bracken is not eaten!
Composition and calorie content
The fern rhizome contains saponins, starch, alkaloids, hydrocyanic and hydrotannic acids, flavonoids, essential oils, fat and tannins. Young shoots contain a lot of vitamins, tocopherols, riboflavins, carotene and nicotinic acid.
The nutritional value of fern is as follows: proteins - 4.55 grams, fats - 0.4 grams, carbohydrates - 5.54 grams, calorie content of bracken - 34 kcal.
Beneficial features
Bracken fern has been used in medicine for a long time. For diseases of the intestines and spleen, for diarrhea, aching joints, jaundice, for headaches and chest pains, for dry pleurisy, for noise in the ears and head, and also as a laxative, analgesic, anthelmintic and diuretic, it is recommended to use a decoction of the rhizome and fern grass.
Decoctions from the rhizome of bracken fern are also used externally. Indications for such treatment may include wounds, scrofula, eczema, and abscesses. You can take baths with an infusion of this plant for ulcers and rheumatism.
Harm and contraindications
Decoctions and infusions of bracken fern should be used with great caution. It is advisable to do so under the supervision of an experienced herbalist, since fern is a poisonous plant.
The use of bracken is contraindicated during pregnancy!
An overdose of fern can cause vomiting, nausea, headache, convulsions, dizziness, low blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakened cardiac activity and even death.
The article is protected by copyright law. When using or copying material, an active link to the site http://vkusnoblog.net is required!Add a comment
The bracken fern decorates birch groves with its spreading legs all summer long. Altai Territory, Far East, Siberia and the Urals. Fans of hiking in these parts enthusiastically admire its mysterious meadows, but few people know that this miracle plant is highly valued for its exquisite taste and beneficial properties. Recently, local gourmets have also become interested in recipes for fern dishes.
Unpretentious, beautiful and unkillable
Bracken fern is a herbaceous plant similar to low bush. It usually grows in dense colonies, united underground by a common rhizome. Bracken is found in different climate regions throughout the earth. It is very easy to recognize by its beautiful feathery leaves, similar to acacia branches. If you cut the stem of a fern crosswise and carefully examine its image, you can see in it the eagle that gave this plant its name.
The common bracken fern is known for its vitality. It thrives in any soil, even the most infertile, rocky or sandy. Once settled, he remains in this place for many years. Summer residents and farmers do not like it for this, as they wage a fierce struggle with it as a difficult weed, which is almost impossible to eradicate. Even if there is a fire that destroys everything in the forest, grove or garden where this plant grew, it will be the first to sprout and sprout new shoots.
From harm to benefit - one step
Despite the widespread attitude towards ferns as weeds, two of their species are still classified as edible - ostrich and bracken. It is worth noting right away that these plants can be used for food only after following certain precautions. They cannot be consumed fresh, as they contain toxic substances that are poisonous to humans.
If there is such a risk, is bracken worth consuming? The beneficial properties of this plant far outweigh the minor danger that can be easily eliminated. This has long been understood by residents of many Asian countries, where ferns are not just a delicacy, but are considered national dish. Such love makes it possible for those who live in Kamchatka and the Primorsky Territory of Russia to have additional income.
Starting in May, when the first bracken shoots appear, many go to the taiga to collect this delicacy, which is purchased en masse from the population for export to China and Japan. Why is this plant loved so much in the East?
A storehouse of benefits, taste and health
Dishes made from bracken fern contain many useful elements that are found both in young shoots and in rhizomes. The leaves provide the body with the following substances:
1. Phytosterols - reduce cholesterol levels in the body.
2. Flavonoids - strengthen capillaries, regulate blood clotting, improve vascular permeability.
3. Sesquiterpenes - have an anthelmintic, anthelmintic effect.
4. Tannins (catechins) are indispensable for the prevention of cancer, and also increase immunity and preserve youth.
When eating young shoots and stems of bracken fern, the body benefits from elements such as essential oils, glycosides, alkaloids, fatty oils, aspartic, nicotinic, glutamic acids, tyrosine, phenylalanine, iodine, phosphorus and many other trace elements and vitamins. Thanks to such a rich composition, bracken fern is valued. Its beneficial properties stimulate metabolism and increase the body's stress resistance.
Don't miss the short collection period
Let's now proceed to detailed description all the nuances that need to be taken into account if you want a safe and tasty bracken to appear on your table. Preparation begins with proper collection. Although this plant can be found in forests, ravines, birch forests and even in your garden throughout the warm season, it should only be collected for cooking in the spring. The fact is that young shoots that have not yet produced leaves are edible.
At the end of spring, the shoots begin to harden, the spreading paws with leaves turn into a bush, which is no longer suitable for food, since it contains large quantities contains bitter glycosides, and also significantly increases the level of toxic substances. It is important not to miss that short period when the bracken is still young, its stem is fragile, and the young shoots are bent into a hook. Such branches are as easy to collect as dandelions - they break easily, and their delicate leaves are rich in various substances.
Set goals and allocate time
Harvested bracken should be stored in the refrigerator for no longer than two days. During this period it must be processed, otherwise it will become completely poisonous. This must be taken into account when collecting. If your goal is to surprise your friends with an exotic dish, you should not collect it in large quantities. If you want to stock up while it is still edible in order to pamper yourself with its unusual taste throughout the year, then it is worth setting aside several days for these purposes, since you will need time not only for trips to the forest or grove for fern, but also for its processing.
Having collected required quantity raw materials, start preparing it immediately. Start with sorting - select a small amount of beautiful and uniform heads to treat yourself to this delicacy tonight. Place the rest in the refrigerator. We will process it for a long time in order to prepare it for the winter or for future use. For this purpose, the plants will need to be salted, pickled or dried, but more on that later.
Preliminary processing
To ensure that your fern dinner is not overshadowed by food poisoning, you need to properly prepare freshly harvested raw materials. First of all, it is necessary to cleanse it of bitterness and toxic substances. Perfect option, which will allow you to preserve the beneficial substances and presentation of the fern as much as possible - this is soaking. The shoots prepared for cooking are dipped in a salty solution for a day, after which they are soaked in fresh water. This pre-treatment will make young bracken shoots completely safe and palatable.
If you don’t want to wait a whole day, then you can remove the bitterness from the fern using several stages of boiling. First, take a copper basin and pour a large amount of water into it. Bring it to a boil, add salt, immerse the shoots very carefully for two to three minutes. After this, you should replace the water and bring it to a boil again. This should be done two or three times.
During the last boiling, the shoots need to be boiled for about ten minutes, constantly monitoring the process. As soon as the fern heads curl into beautiful green rings, they should be removed from the heat. Now let's start preparing the bracken. The recipes for almost all bracken dishes are similar, differing only in the presence of ingredients. They are based on the same cooking methods that we are used to using when processing mushrooms.
Stocking up
Let us now return to processing the fern, which was put in the refrigerator. We want to store these reserves of raw materials for a long period of time by salting them. To do this, you need to take a large container, it is best wooden barrel. Place the collected fern into it, mixed with salt in a ratio of 3 to 10 (for three kilograms of salt, 10 kilograms of raw materials). Cover with something heavy so that the brine appears under pressure. After two weeks, the brine should be drained and replaced with a new one, which should be prepared in a ratio of 2 to 10. Leave again for two weeks, after which the fern, if desired, can be salted again in a ratio of 1 to 10. After this, the shoots should be folded into bunches and dry.
Salted bracken can last as long as dried mushrooms. Before cooking, it should be pre-soaked and then used. In addition to pickling, bracken can be prepared in pickled form according to the scheme used for mushrooms.
Fern salad
The simplest recipe for how to cook bracken is to make it into a meat salad. Boiled beef or veal are best. You will also need hard-boiled eggs, green onions, hard cheese, fresh tomatoes and mayonnaise. All ingredients should be taken in equal quantities. Cheese, meat, tomatoes need to be finely chopped.
Pre-soak the bracken in water (salted) or boil it (raw). Place the prepared shoots in a frying pan in heated oil and simmer to remove excess moisture. After this, mix all the products evenly and season the salad with mayonnaise. Garnish it with finely chopped green onions.
It is impossible to cover all the many recipes that chefs offer for preparing bracken. These can be not only the famous Korean salads made from pickled fern, but also Russian inventions such as dumplings, pancakes and even pies stuffed with fried bracken. All these experiments became possible due to the fact that it tastes similar to mushrooms, so the same dishes are prepared from it.
Also to simple recipes include fried fern, which can be used as a gravy for any side dish. It's very easy to prepare:
1. Finely chop one onion and fry until transparent.
2. Place 400 grams of boiled fern in a frying pan and fry for another 10 minutes along with the onion.
3. Separately mix half a glass of sour cream with one tablespoon of flour.
4. Pour the mixture into the fried fern. Place in the oven. When a golden brown crust forms, remove. Serve hot.
Description
Fern is a herbaceous plant, a representative of the Osmundaceae family. Scientists consider Northern China, Korea, and the Far East to be its homeland. The fern is found in the forests of Russia, Ukraine, Finland, Central Asia, and Mexico. The plant is a green stem with pinnately dissected leaves (see photo). Fern is considered one of the most ancient plants on the planet, originating in the Devonian period. According to scientists, compressed fern wood became a material for coal.
In order to understand what this plant is, it is necessary to trace the stages of its development: the stem of the fern grows underground, in the spring young leaves called fronds begin to form, then the leaves grow and most resemble a huge snail, the leaves unfold and become like a hook . The fern does not bloom, but reproduces using spores.
The plant received its scientific name Pteridium aguillinum (bracken fern) due to its resemblance to the wing of a huge bird (with Greek language preton translates as “wing”, aqulia means “eagle”).
There is a lot to do with ferns interesting legends. People were very wary of this plant because it looked very mysterious. Our ancestors did not understand how this plant reproduces if it never blooms. People waited for the fern to bloom special holiday. According to a well-known belief, a person who finds a flower of this plant on the holiday of Ivan Kupala will be able to get incredibly rich, since on this night the earth itself opens up and shows hidden riches. In Rus' they believed that this plant could open any lock and that you couldn’t hide a single secret before a fern. According to an ancient legend, the fern appeared thanks to the goddess of love Venus, supposedly she dropped her beautiful hair, and this grew from it amazing plant. Another legend says that a girl fell from a cliff, and a spring appeared in that place, and her hair became a plant similar to a bird’s wing.
Calorie content: 34 kcal.
Energy value of the Fern product:
- Proteins: 4.55 g.
- Fat: 0.4 g.
- Carbohydrates: 5.54 g.
Beneficial features
The beneficial properties of fern are due to its valuable chemical composition. The plant is rich in alkaloids, starch, essential oils, flavonoids, and tannins. Fern shoots contain carotene, tocopherol (vitamin E), riboflavin, or vitamin B2. The presence of alkaloids makes the plant an excellent pain reliever.
Fern contains a large amount of proteins, similar to the protein of grain crops, which is easily digestible and has a positive effect on the body. With regular use, the plant has a positive effect on growth processes.
Fern has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the nervous system and tones the body. There is evidence that the plant helps remove radionuclides from the human body.
The rhizome of the plant, which is harvested in September, is used for medicinal purposes. Fern is effective for varicose veins veins, inflammation of the sciatic nerve, with cramps of the calf muscle. For these diseases, the course of treatment is 3 weeks.
Use in cooking
Fern has been used in cooking since ancient times. Only two types of ferns are used for food purposes: bracken and ostrich. The so-called rachis, or shoots of the plant, are edible. And its young leaves are added to salads, fried, pickled, and used as a seasoning. Fern shoots taste like mushrooms. Due to the high presence of proteins, the plant is loved by residents of Japan, Korea, and the Far East. The calorie content of this product is 34 kcal per 100 grams.
There are two types of fern preparation: boiling and canning. In any case, before preparing the plant, its shoots must first be boiled. You should not neglect this stage and fry fresh rakhis: this will ruin the dish, because the fern will taste bitter. The leaves are washed in salted water. When the water boils, after a few minutes it is drained, the plant is washed and again filled with salted water. Next, the fern is cooked until tender. The shoots should not break; it is enough to bring them to a state where they bend easily. The cooked plant is placed in a colander and used according to culinary recipes.
A popular option for preparing fern is pickling it. Thanks to salting, the product can be stored for a long time, and you also get an excellent “semi-finished product” that can very quickly be turned into an amazingly tasty dish. The plant is washed thoroughly, then placed in glass jar and covered with salt, the ferns are folded in layers, sprinkling them table salt. Next, the container with the plant is pressed down on top with something heavy and placed in a cool place for 14 days. After two weeks, it will be necessary to drain the brine and transfer the shoots to another container. Moreover, the plant is again folded in layers with the difference that the layer that was on top should be at the very bottom. The fern is again filled with brine with a minimum salt content of 22%. In this form, the fern can be stored for several years.
There is specially prepared fern for sale for food purposes. The purchased product must be soaked in clean water for several hours to remove excess bitterness and salt. During this time, it is better to periodically drain the water and fill the plant with new water. After two hours, the fern is transferred to a pan and cooked for about 15 minutes without adding spices. At the same time, you need to chop the onion and meat. Next, the meat and onions should be fried on vegetable oil. After heat treatment, the fern is cut into small pieces and fried along with the rest of the ingredients. At the end of cooking, add 1 tbsp to the dish. l. soy sauce. The dish is served hot.
A well-known recipe for preparing this plant is “Korean-style fern.” Onions and carrots, cut into strips, are stewed on olive oil until golden brown. Add fern sprouts to the vegetables in the pan and mix thoroughly. The resulting mass is thoroughly mixed again and seasoned with seasoning for cooking carrots in Korean. Next, the vegetables are simmered until tender for 15 minutes.
Fern benefits and treatment
The benefits of the plant have long been known folk medicine. Fern is used as a pain reliever for joint pain and headaches. For rheumatism, it is recommended to take warm baths with fern decoction. Also, decoctions of the plant are effective for jaundice, diseases of the intestines and spleen. Externally, the plant is used for eczema, abscesses, and scrofula. Fern root powder relieves congestion in the intestines and spleen.
A decoction of fern rhizomes can be prepared at home. To do this, boil 10 grams of crushed rhizome for 10 minutes in 200 ml of water. Take the decoction 1 tsp. along with bee honey. Sometimes the broth is mixed with flour and taken by dividing the “dough” into 10 parts. Fern is a potent remedy, preparations based on which should not be taken without medical indications. After taking the plant, be sure to give an enema and take a saline laxative. Taking other types of laxatives is strictly prohibited.
Externally, fern decoction is used as a bath or rubdown. In order to prepare a bath with a decoction, you will need 50 grams of rhizome per 3 liters of water. The broth is infused for several hours and then poured into a cool bath.
Fern harm and contraindications
The plant can cause harm to the body if used uncontrolled. It is better to use fern under the supervision of a herbalist or attending physician, since the plant is poisonous.
Fern is contraindicated for pregnant women.
Contraindications to its use are also fever, anemia, tuberculosis, liver and kidney diseases, ulcers, and chronic diseases.
In case of overdose, the patient should rinse the stomach and immediately seek medical help.
Interesting Facts
Fern is one of the ancient plants on earth, surviving to this day. Scientists believe that the compressed wood of ancient ferns became the main forming material of coal.
Everyone knows the belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and open all the hearts. This is just a legend - the fern never blooms.
Bracken Fern (Pteridium aguillinum)
Description
The scientific name of the plant comes from the following words: pteron is Greek for “wing” and aquila is Latin for “eagle”. The leaves of this fern really resemble the wing of a huge bird.
The bracken stem grows underground. Young leaves - fronds - are formed in May and at first resemble a snail, and as they grow, they unfold and resemble a hook. The petiole of the leaf is called rachis. Ferns reproduce by spores.
Interesting Facts
Fern is one of the oldest plants on earth that has survived to this day. Scientists believe that the compressed wood of ancient ferns became the main forming material of coal.
Everyone knows the belief that whoever finds a fern flower on the night of Ivan Kupala will be able to find all the treasures and open all the hearts. This is just a legend - the fern never blooms.
Compound
The rhizome of bracken fern contains starch, alkaloids, saponins, hydrocyanic and bracken-tannic acid, essential oils, flavonoids, fat, and tannins. Young shoots are rich in vitamins, tocopherol, riboflavin, carotene, and nicotinic acid.
The proteins of bracken fern are similar in their properties and composition to the proteins of grain crops and are easily digestible. Fern has long been used as food by taiga dwellers in the Far East, as well as by residents of Korea and Japan. The use of fern has a beneficial effect on growth processes, helps the formation of the skeleton, metabolism, activity of the nervous system, increases efficiency, improves the condition of the endocrine system, and promotes the removal of radionuclides from the body.
Application
Fern is used in cooking different nations peace. Salads are prepared from young leaves, “snails” are boiled, fried, pickled and salted for the winter, and used as a seasoning for meat. Bracken fern rachis tastes like mushrooms. Ferns should not be consumed fresh!
Beneficial features
Fern has been used for medicinal purposes for a long time. A decoction of rhizomes and herbs is taken internally for diseases of the spleen and intestines, for aching joints, diarrhea, jaundice, headache and chest pain, for dry pleurisy, noise in the head and, as a laxative, diuretic, analgesic and anthelmintic.
Externally, a decoction of fern rhizomes is used for wounds, eczema, scrofula, and abscesses. The infusion can be used for ulcers and rheumatism in the form of baths.
Contraindications
Fern infusions and decoctions should be used very carefully, under the guidance of an experienced herbalist, since fern is poisonous.
You cannot use fern during pregnancy!
Overdose can lead to nausea, vomiting, headache, dizziness, convulsions, low blood pressure, respiratory depression, weakened cardiac function and even death.
Calorie content and the nutritional value fern
Fern calories - 34 kcal.
Nutritional value of fern: proteins - 4.55 g, fats - 0.4 g, carbohydrates - 5.54 g
Fern - in cooking, young shoots of one of the varieties of the same name herbaceous plant, as a rule, male fern (male fern). It grows and is grown as an agricultural crop in temperate regions. It is popular in cooking due to its original taste, which is both similar to asparagus and green beans.
Calorie content
100 grams of young fern shoots contain about 34 kcal.
Compound
The chemical composition of young fern shoots is characterized by a high content of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins (A, B6, C), minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium) and phytonutrients (beta-carotene).
How to cook and serve
As noted earlier, young shoots of fern are used for food purposes. Thanks to their taste, which is simultaneously reminiscent of green beans and asparagus, they have found quite wide application in cooking. This is preceded by a not too complicated preparatory process. First, the surface of the fern shoots is cleared of superficial brown scales, while the lower part of the climbing stem is cut off. After this they are washed under cold running water and then placed in boiling water salt water for 1-2 minutes. This procedure makes the taste less bitter, so it is recommended to repeat it 2-3 times.
Young shoots of fern are eaten exclusively in cooked form. They are prepared in exactly the same way as asparagus and green beans. Most often, fern shoots are stewed and served as a side dish, either separately, seasoned with melted butter, salt and pepper, or together with vegetables for meat dishes, poultry and fish.
How to choose
When choosing young fern shoots, you should take into account the period of their collection, which lasts from April to June. The highest quality ones are clearly distinguished green and leaves pressed tightly against each other.
Storage
Fresh fern shoots should be stored in the refrigerator, first placing them in a tightly closed plastic container, and then eating them within 2-3 days.
Beneficial features
The unique appearance of young fern shoots is surprisingly combined with their chemical composition, which is extremely rich in a number of vital minerals and vitamins, which gives them a lot of beneficial properties. In particular, their use improves vision, increases resistance to infectious, inflammatory and oncological diseases, and also normalizes work of cardio-vascular system and gastrointestinal tract.
Restrictions on use
Not all wild fern species are suitable for food use. Consumption of shoots of some of them significantly increases the risk of cancer due to the increased content of carcinogenic substances in them.
