You probably only know horsetail, especially field 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?
Can you eat horsetail and how to use it in dishes?
Field horsetail can be eaten using the brown and green shoots, as well as the spore shoots. These can be prepared in salads, vegetable dishes, smoothies and teas and contain valuable ingredients such as silica, tannins and flavonoids.
Horsetail contains many valuable ingredients
Horsetail is very rich in minerals. Approximately ten percent of the plant consists of these important nutrients. The majority of this is made up of silica, which has a particularly positive effect on the he alth of hair and teeth.
Horsetail also contains tannins, potassium, essential oils and flavonoids.
You can eat or drink horsetail in these dishes
- Salad
- Vegetables
- Smoothies
- Teas
Which parts of the field 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 that they add to various vegetable dishes.
If you like drinking smoothies, you can add a few stalks of field horsetail.
This is what field horsetail tastes like
The brown shoots are soft and have a light mushroom aroma. The green shoots, on the other hand, are very bitter and not very tasty raw. To eat them, place them in running water for an hour to wash out the bitter substances.
Don't confuse field horsetail and marsh horsetail
You need to be careful when collecting horsetail. Field horsetail and marsh horsetail look very similar. To be on the safe side, take an identification book (€26.00 on Amazon) with you if you are not familiar with the plants. A good indication is that in field 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, some of which can cause severe symptoms of poisoning.
Field horsetail is collected in spring and summer until July. After that, the shoots are too woody and no longer edible.
Delicacy in Japan
In Japan, field horsetail is grown commercially as a vegetable. There the brown and green plant parts are added to salads.
Tip
Broths and manures can be made from horsetail, which you can use to protect plants such as roses from mildew and pests. You can use manure to fertilize ornamental plants and ensure that they become particularly strong.
