Pickled Evening Primrose Roots is a modern British recipe for a classic method of preserving the wild food, evening primrose roots by chopping into pieces and preserving in vinegar. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pickled Evening Primrose Roots.
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The pale pink roots of evening primrose taste mildly peppery, like parsnips. They can be boiled, fried or thinly sliced and added to wok dishes. Most of the 'spiciness' resides in the skin of the roots, you can peel them for a milder effect, but I don't usually bother. Evening primrose is a biennial and the roots are best gathered between the autumn of the first year and the spring of the second year before the flower spike develops.
Ingredients:
150g (about) evening primrose roots
3 garlic cloves
2 sprigs of rosemary
a few black peppercorns
enough raw cider vinegar to fill your jar
Method:
Scrape the evening primrose roots free of salt then was thoroughly, scrubbing with a scouring pad. Chop coarsely then pack in a cleaned and sterilized pickling jar.
Peel and scarify the garlic then pack into the jar along with the rosemary sprigs and black peppercorns.
Pour in enough raw cider vinegar to fill the jar and submerge all the ingredients. Seal with a vinegar-proof lid. Set aside in a cool, dark, place to mature for at least 2 weeks to mature before using.
If you find raw cider vinegar too harsh for your taste, you can add a little honey to the jar.
To use: Eat the roots (and the garlic!) as is, use them as a condiment, add to stir-fries... And of course you've also made an infused vinegar you can use as well. Use the vinegar to make salad dressings, cook with greens and vegetables, marinate meats, and so on.
The same recipe can be used for raw burdock root, alexanders roots, salsify, young parsnips, cardoon roots and many more root vegetables.
