Detailed Explanation of Pollution-Free Cultivation Techniques and Processing Methods for Fiddlehead Fern

Fiddlehead fern was once an utterly unremarkable vegetable in rural areas, but now it is increasingly sought after and loved by urban people. Why is that? Because everyone is pursuing a green, healthy and wellness-oriented lifestyle, and fiddlehead fern fits this characteristic. So what are the key points of pollution-free cultivation techniques for fiddlehead fern? What are the processing methods?

I. What are the key points of pollution-free cultivation techniques for fiddlehead fern?

1. Building sheds, land preparation, making beds

Choose a simple medium shed with a bamboo, wood or steel bar structure for production, located in a flat place on relatively high terrain that is sheltered from wind and faces the sun. The soil should be neutral or slightly acidic, loose and fertile, with strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, and a relatively low groundwater table. The bed width is generally 1-1.5 m, and 2000-3000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure is applied per mu.

2. Timely planting

In spring or autumn, on the prepared beds, dig trenches 12 cm deep every 20 cm, plant the propagated seedlings in the trenches at a spacing of 5 cm, or place rhizomes one after another, cover with 5-10 cm of soil, and cover with rice straw or other straw, sprinkle an appropriate amount of water, then cover with shed film or add plastic mulch.

3. Fertilizer and water management

Frequently spray water with a watering can, but do not allow water to accumulate. After the first batch of sprouts emerges, topdress with quick-acting fertilizer (human excrement and urine or monopotassium phosphate) in time, and thereafter topdress once after each harvest. After planting, cover with film in time. During the germination period, the ground temperature is required to be above 15°C and the air temperature above 20°C. After sprouting, in order to accelerate growth, the air temperature is required to reach 25°C. Within 1 week after transplanting, full-day coverage is needed, and afterward appropriate ventilation should be provided during the day; when the air temperature exceeds 30°C, the skirt film around the shed can be lifted, and a shade net and straw curtain can be added for cooling.

4. Harvesting

Using double-film mulching cultivation in a medium shed can bring it to market 1 month earlier. When the seedlings are about 25 cm tall and the leaflets have not unfolded and are still in a fist-like shape, they can be harvested, once every 2-3 days. From an appropriate part below the fresh portion, break them off one by one by hand. Then, gently rub the base of the broken fiddlehead fern on the ground so that the base is stained with soil, place them gently in a basket lined with green grass at the bottom, and cover the top of the basket with a layer of green grass.

II. What are the processing methods for fiddlehead fern?

1. Dry processing

Put the cleaned and sorted fiddlehead fern into boiling water and blanch for 7-8 minutes. Generally, 0.2%-0.5% citric acid by mass fraction and 0.2% sodium metabisulfite by mass fraction are added to the blanching liquid. If conditions permit, clean sulfur is used, and after sulfur fumigation, blanching is carried out. The amount of sulfur used per 100 kg of fiddlehead fern is 0.2-0.4 kg, and the ratio of fiddlehead fern to blanching liquid is 1:1.5-2; immediately after blanching, cool the fiddlehead fern to room temperature with flowing clean water, then air-dry or oven-dry. To prevent uneven moisture inside and outside the fiddlehead fern, and especially to prevent the surface of the fiddlehead fern from breaking and shattering due to over-drying, remove overly wet lumps and fragments, and pile them for 1-3 days to achieve moisture balance. At the same time, soften the dried fiddlehead fern so it can be pressed into blocks or packaged.

2. Salting processing

Put the cleaned and graded fiddlehead fern into buckets for salting. Preparation of the salting liquid: grind 42% citric acid, 50% sodium metaphosphate and 8% alum separately by mass fraction, mix thoroughly, and adjust with 10 times the amount of water into a solution for later use. Add the acid-adjusting water to saturated brine so that the pH value of the salting liquid reaches 3.5-4.5, and set aside for later use. First add salt at 5% of the mass fraction of the fiddlehead fern into the bucket, then add the fiddlehead fern, sprinkle salt at 10% of the weight of the fiddlehead fern on the surface of the fiddlehead fern, fill the bucket with the salting liquid, exhaust the air in the bucket, and seal the salting bucket to obtain the finished product.