Nasturtium capers?

[Ron and Jean]

I have always thought nasturtim seeds would make great caper substitutes. After nibbling a few seeds in the greenhouse today I now have the urge to pickle some. To my suprise there were a few recipes on google. Has anyone tried this and can recommend a good recipe?
thanks

[Carltonian Man]

Not all my nasturtium pods are ready for harvesting at the same time so I follow an old recipe and drop the pods into a vinegar and sea salt mix as and when they're available. Pick with a little bit of stalk when the pods are a reasonable size and they're best picked from the plant during dry weather if possible. It pays to check the solution strength periodically as the jar fills as it tends to weaken as more pods are added. Many recipes say leave them pickled until the following year but I find they're good to eat after even a few weeks. In fact, I prefer them with a bit of crunch and bite..

Hope you enjoy, I take it you already include the leaves and flowers in mixed salads

Regards
Martin

[Ron and Jean]

I already have some in vinegar. I have grand plans to surround the kids trampoline with nasturtiums next year and get a bountiful harvest (presuming they are as good as I imagine they will be). Do you cook with them too? I thought they may be quite nice in tomato based pasta sauce mix...

[Millymollymandy]

Carltonian Man, do they actually taste like capers? I always have gazillions of self seeded nasturtiums and when I clear the mess away after the frost I see all the seeds lying on the ground which I could have harvested! Bit late now this year as they've been attacked by blackfly but it's something that might be worth a try next year for fun.

[Green Aura]

I've seen recipes for them, but I only ever grow a few plants - enough to harvest a few leaves and flowers for salads. I've not really had enough seeds to pickle. Bit daft really - jars of capers are generally minute, I could have easily filled one even from my meagre haul.

Keep us informed - I have no objections to increasing my stock!

[Sally Jane]

They used to be known as Poor Man's Capers, although I've never tried them. Another entry for my 'Must Try' book!

[grahamhobbs]

Not sure you need a 'recipe' for pickling nasturium seeds. Sterilise Jar, fill with 'green' nasturium seeds and cover with white wine vinegar. You can add herbs if you like but not really necessary (we sometimes use a bay leaf) and could use different vinegar but would then taste less like capers.

[Carltonian Man]

I prefer the taste of white wine vinegar, but being nowhere near as strong as pickling vinegar the sea salt helps in preserving. The nasturtiums don't taste particularly like capers but do retain some of their lovely nasturtiumy flavour. Pickling takes away the hot, dryness you get when tasted raw and the finished product (I think) stands up in it's own right. They go really well with cheese and bicuits, never tried cooking with them but don't see why they wouldn't work.

[Green Aura]

Could you just put them in salt, like the posh, expensive capers.

[Ron and Jean]

Thanks for all the replies. I think I was wondering if they needed steeped in salt before I put them in vinegar. In the end I soaked them in salt for 24 hours then put them into pickling vinegar. Most of the seeds had already dried and fallen so I only had a few green seeds to experiment with. White wine vinegar would be really nice, I may try that next time. I will let you know in a month or so how they turn out.

[Millymollymandy]

Yes please let us know. It's something I vaguely think of every year when I look at my nasturtiums but as it's a time which is pretty busy with everything else edible I never get around to it! Must try harder!

[Millymollymandy]

Great minds think alike - I've just been out and tasted one! Hot and dry (as well as juicy if that makes sense) with a nasturtiumy flavour is a perfect description of what they taste like!

[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.