It is currently towards the end of the bamboo shoot (죽순) harvesting season (end of June). My mother-in-law and I went out and harvested some. I am wary about harvesting bamboo because I know black bamboo is poisonous. So if you decide to harvest, please be 100% confident and know what you are doing. I wanted to share how to harvest and process bamboo so you can safely eat it because although this kind of bamboo is safe to eat, you still need to process it correctly to remove any toxins before eating/cooking with it.

I have seen bamboo shoots sold at my local farmers’ market, and so if you are curious to try cooking them, this is the proper way to process them. You can use bamboo shoots in soup, as a side dish, as a substitute/addition for noodles or by stir-frying them.

How to harvest:

First, know what you are harvesting and ensure you are harvesting bamboo that is safe to eat. The bamboo shoot harvesting season is in the spring. Look for small bamboo shoots that are around the length of your forearm. When you see the shoot, cut from the bottom, it cuts off very easily.

When harvesting fresh bamboo shoots, it is better to process them the same day you harvest them because they can get hard! If you can not process them completely, then you can follow my steps below and remove all of the outer layer of the bamboo and freeze the bamboo until you are ready to blanch it. Once you are ready to blanch the bamboo, DO NOT thaw it, just blanch it from frozen, otherwise the texture will be messed up.

Preparing Fresh Bamboo Shoots: How to Remove Toxins Before Cooking

Instructions

If you did not process your harvested bamboo immediately, it may be harder in texture. So, first trim off the bottom of the bamboo.
Split the bamboo in half.
Then remove the outer layers of the bamboo to get the core of the bamboo shoot.
Take the core of the bamboo shoot out.
Now slice it lengthwise down the center.
Then slice those pieces in half.
Then slice the bamboo to your desired thickness. Keep in mind that if you slice it thick, you need to blanch it longer. These instructions are based on bamboo that has been sliced on the thinner side.
Add salt to some water and bring it to a boil. Once boiling, add the sliced bamboo shoots.
Let this boil for 10 minutes. Make sure to boil it longer if your pieces are thicker.
After 10 minutes, take the bamboo out of the water and place it into ice water.
Let your bamboo soak overnight. This is an important step. If you skip this step then the toxins will not be removed and you will taste them.
The next morning drain them from the water and they are ready to be used in recipes.