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1
Wash the bracken fern thoroughly and trim off 1-2 cm of the stems (I often find the cut surface of store-bought fresh bracken fern stems to be blackened by the astringency).
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2
Sprinkle baking soda on a plate, hold the tips of the bracken fern, and dunk the stems into the baking soda (the stems will be sticky, so the baking soda should easily stick).
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3
Put the bracken fern into a bowl large enough to contain them, sprinkle on a pinch of baking soda, and pour boiling water over them until they are immersed (bubbles should form from the stems).
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4
Cover with a plate so that the bracken fern will not float to the top and let sit overnight to remove the astringency.
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5
This is what they should look like the following day (after about 8 hours).
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6
The astringency should be removed from the bracken fern and the color of the water should be dark green.
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7
Rinse the bracken fern and soak it in fresh clean water.
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8
If the water still becomes cloudy, drain and refresh the water until it becomes clear.
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9
Since the bracken fern is not boiled, if you are making ohitashi (blanched vegetables with soy sauce or something similar), blanch it before using.
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10
The bracken fern will keep for 4 to 5 days, as long as you refresh the water everyday and store it in the refrigerator.
