Thursday, September 29, 2011

Capering Capers, Batman!

Comedy culinairy capers are very easy to make and you do not even have to have a Capparis spinosa aka a Caper bush growing in your garden. Just plain old Nasturtiums will do. You do grow them, don't you? Nasturtiums are dropdead gorgeous,

even more so when you add a beautiful Maine Coon kittycat like my Dolly Daisy into the mixture, and by doing so crank up the comedy capers content a notch or two.
 Nasturtiums can be very in your face colour-wise but subtle as well.
 Tasty they are too, both the leaf and the flower will spice up your salad, so not growing any Nasturtiums in your garden or on your balcony is definitely of the sense that is non.
In short: grow Nasturtiums! And make capers out of them, the seed pods that is coz it's soooo easy. Here's the recipe:

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Nasturtium Seeds (still firm and green)
  • 1 Cup White Wine Vinegar
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt (or to taste)
  • 5-8 peppercorns (slightly crushed)

 

Preparation:

  1. Rinse and drain the nasturtium seeds and blot them well on paper towels.
  2. Pour the seeds into a 1 pint canning jar.
  3. Bring the vinegar, salt and pepper to a boil and pour over the seeds.
  4. Seal and refrigerate the jar and let them sit for about 3 months. Then enjoy!

The basic recipe is very simple. You can use them as is, on salads and in vegetable and fish dishes. Or you can create your own blend by adding a few additional spices.
To spice things up try adding: A clove of smashed garlic, a pinch of celery seed or pickling spice, a couple sprigs of thyme or a bay leaf.
copyright 2011 Y.E.W. Heuzen

19 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

I have never heard of such a thing. How interesting. Well worth the effort to see what they taste like.

Bienchen said...

Pure genius, shame I am the only one in the family who likes capers.

Roslyn said...

I have tried the leaves and flowers but this is new to me as well. They self-seed, so they are scattered throughout my garden.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Grrl, you so crazy! ("...of the sense that is non" ha ha ha). I love nasturtiums and knew the flowers were edible, but never knew you could make capers out of them. Will do next year. I'd like to point out, for the official record, that I made both pesto and salsa verde for the first time ever, using stuff out of my garden this year. W00t!!!
P.S. Hi! I've vowed to get back into reading and commenting on blogs, and occasionally even (gasp) posting!

Gemel said...

I have just planted some in my new little garden for just the same reason.
Great minds and all that :)

Alex aus dem Gwundergarten said...

That's a cool idea! I used to grow nasturtiums but I only used the flowers for decorating the salads. However, I stopped with it because the flowers were always inhabits:o)... iiiiiek, and shaking or washing didn't help... so I stopped using them in the kitchen :o).
Have a great day!
Alex

Glo said...

Wonderful to see you capering about, Yolanda ~ your nasturtium photos are so colourful, I can nearly taste their tang! I bet you have enjoyed harvesting your garden.

chamomilla said...

Thank you for the recipe! I love capers as well as nasturtiums, and so I will definitely try it out.

Carolyn ♥ said...

Yum! I want to try this! Next year'll plant nasturtiums.

Anonymous said...

I grow lots of nasturtiums, but just to admire not to eat! Take care, Flighty xxx

Matron said...

How lovely. I put them in my picalilli last year, they are such a lovely firey, hot mustard flavour.

Repelsteeltje said...

Je weet werkelijk van alles in je tuin iets eetbaars te maken hè!
Bij dat prachtig gevulde schaaltje loop het water me in de mond.
Jammer dat mijn nastjes dit jaar helemaal niets gedaan hebben :-(

Jenny said...

Now I have eaten Nastursums in a salad but capers? That is a stretch in my imagination. Beautiful photos of your flowers and cat! xo Jenny

Lea said...

Wonderful flowers, so hardy, they grow anywhere. Haven't eaten them yet - but maybe someday I will. Love your new header photo! And what a beautiful cat you have!
Have a happy day,
Lea

stadtgarten said...

Dear Yolanda,
I knew that seeds of Nasturtium can be used as capers, but I never tried it before.
Thank you so much for reminding me and posting the recipe, I will try that next year.
Have a nice weekend,
groetjes, Monika

*Ulrike* said...

Thank you, thank you! We love capers so much that my daughter and hubby eat them straight from the jar! I will copy this down so I can try it next year.

Kelsgarden said...

brilliant! I will try next season :)

Bar Stools said...

Nasturtiums are not easy to maintain. The method with steps you share here , is easy to follow. People will surely like to follow it. Useful information shared.

Bar stools said...

thanks for your recipe.