Nasturtium capers?

[Graye]

I dashed out to check ours out. I love nasturtiums for their leaves and flowers for eating and also just for their general cheerfulness. Someone once told me yellow and orange flowers are "naff and tasteless". I've loved all yellow and orange flowers ever since (I seem to remember I didn't like that person over much).

I only found about 30 berries this morning but there will be more if I can carry on fighting the blackfly for them.

I've put them in salt and some white balsamic vinegar so hopefully they will taste good. I knew youcould do this so it just took a reminder to motivate me.

[contadina]

I've not checked any online curing instructions for nasturtium seeds but here's two ways I cure capers and I'm guessing they would both work for nasturtiums.

Capers in vinegar
Leave capers in water for 48 hours changing the water after the first day. Then cover with rock salt for two days, squeezing the salty-caper mix gently every now and then. Day five, rinse and cover in white wine vinegar for two days. Place in a jar and cover with fresh vinegar. I keep adding to a jar until its full. Just make sure the capers are fully covered in vinegar. Store in the fridge once opened. I've also stared putting clingfilm over the jar to protect the lid going rusty from the vinegar.

Capers packed in salt
Add coarse salt to picked berries and squeeze with your fingers occasionally for 5-10 days. Then drain off liquid, and store in dry salt. Leave them to soak for at least 30 mins or overnight before using.

[Jessiebean]

This sounds interesting- what do the seeds look like?I have some sprawling across the front garden but it is their first year so I haven't seen the seed pods yet...I had always assumed it was unopened buds that were pickled like capers.

[Millymollymandy]

They are quite big (a lot bigger than capers!) so when they appear they won't be hard to spot. I always have hundreds all over the ground at the end of the season when the plants have had it, but surprisingly I don't get hundreds of nasturtiums germinating the next year - thankfully!!! Just 3 or 4 is enough.