蕨

Back in April, when I went on that little hanami picnic, the ladies and I also went on an after lunch stroll on the walking paths at that park. It just so happens that the わらび plants, called bracken in English, were sprouting up from the ground ready to picked! 

Warabi or bracken

The ladies showed me how to snap the stems and we gathered many which they gave to me. They explained how to prepare the warabi and sent me home with handfuls of freshly snapped stems.  

After getting it home I prepared it how they had instructed. I brought a pot of water to boil and put in a spoonful of baking soda. Then I threw the washed and cut stems in and let it sit in the pot until the next morning. While I was chopping the fresh warabi, I tried a small piece to see what it tasted like. It was not until later when researching recipes that I read that warabi is in fact poisonous if eaten raw. Well, I'm still here, so it must have been a small enough piece. 

Anyway, I tried my hand at a few styles of warabi preparation!

蕨ごま白和え- Warabi, carrots and tofu with sesame

蕨きのこの入り豆腐- warabi, mushroom, and tofu stir-fry

蕨煮物- Simmered warabi with carrots and tofu skins