You probably only know horsetail, especially horsetail, as a weed in the garden. But you can also eat the wild plant. What does field horsetail taste like and how can the shoots be prepared?

The sprouts of horsetail are often used in Asian cuisine

Horsetail contains many valuable ingredients

Horsetail is very rich in minerals. About ten percent of the plant consists of these important nutrients. The largest part of this is made up of silicic acid, which has a particularly positive effect on the health of hair and teeth.

Horsetail also contains tannins, potassium, essential oils and flavonoids.

In these dishes you can eat or drink horsetail

  • salad
  • vegetables
  • smoothie
  • teas

Which parts of the horsetail are edible?

You can eat the brown and green shoots of the field horsetail. The spore shoots are also edible. They are prepared like asparagus or mushrooms and can also be pickled.

Some connoisseurs even appreciate the roots, which they add to various vegetable dishes.

If you like drinking smoothies, you can add a few sprigs of horsetail.

This is what horsetail tastes like

The brown shoots are soft and have a slight mushroom aroma. The green shoots, on the other hand, are very bitter and not very tasty raw. To be able to eat them, soak them in running water for an hour so that the bitter substances are washed out.

Do not confuse field horsetail and marsh horsetail

You have to be careful when collecting horsetail. Field horsetail and marsh horsetail look very similar. To be on the safe side, take an identification book with you if you are not familiar with the plants. A good guide is that in horsetail, the spore shoot and the summer shoot do not grow at the same time.

Only the field horsetail is edible. Marsh horsetail, on the other hand, contains toxins that can sometimes cause severe symptoms of poisoning.

Field horsetail is collected in spring and summer up to July. After that, the shoots are too woody and no longer edible.

Delicacy in Japan

In Japan, horsetail is grown commercially as a vegetable. There, the brown and green parts of the plant are added to salads.

tips

Horsetail can be used to make broths and manure, which you can use to protect plants, such as roses, from powdery mildew and pests. Fertilize ornamental plants with liquid manure and ensure that they become particularly strong.

Category:

Vegetable garden