Allotments 4 All

Have recently had my first taste of caper berries, have enjoyed caper buds also, can't find much on the internet regarding growing this Mediterranean plant, has anyone got information about cultivation in our climate?

Simple !!! grow nasturtiums !! make pickled nasturtiums, capers are the buds of a meditranian thorny bush, if you take the flower buds from the nasturtum :)n it's the same thing, and they taste great, just pickled this years load !!!

I tried to grow some from seed a few years ago. They started to grow but winter killed the seedlings off. Thomas Etty used to sell them. On their packet it referred to growing them like you would olives.

I understood it is the pickled seeds of the nasturtiums that are the 'poor mans subtitute' for capers.

It is...

I grew them when in the Uk and shared them with a few folks, I think I still may have seeds but they would be old now I gre them in the greenhouse and wintered them in the house.

XX Jeannine

Thanks for the suggestions regarding caper buds and berries, I really like the idea of using nasturtium buds, I will try to cadge some for this year and definitely grow them next year. I wonder if you could use the seed heads as they always look very succulent. Jeannine, I have found caper (capparis) seeds in the Chiltern seed catalogue, this shrub is described as a deciduous shrub, short lived and a HHSh. May give it a try.   

I really like the idea of using nasturtium buds...not buds..fresh seeds.. ;)

Quote from: vitruvius8 on August 05, 2011, 22:53:15
Simple !!! grow nasturtiums !! make pickled nasturtiums, capers are the buds of a meditranian thorny bush, if you take the flower buds from the nasturtum :)n it's the same thing, and they taste great, just pickled this years load !!!

recipe pleeeease  :)

I didn't know that nasturtiums could be overwintered. They grow like weeds in my salad garden, I encourage them to harvest the leaves but I've never tried to eat the seed. Can the seed be eaten raw?

macmac, the recipe i use comes from the River Cottage preserves book (brilliant) as follows.
15g salt
100g nasturtium seed pods
a few peppercorns
200ml white wine vinegar and
an optional sprig of tarragon or dill.

Make a brine by disolving the salt in 300ml of cold water, put pods in a bowl, add brine and leave 24 hours covered.
Drain pods and dry well. Pack them into jars with a couple of peppercorns and a sprig of chosen herb, leaving room for 1cm of vinegar at top.
cover the pods with vinegar and seal. leave at least for 3 weeks before using. Use within a year, exactly as you would normal capers.

Hope this is of use  :)

thanks  vitruvius that's one to try
ps what's the meaning of your name ?

you can also try lacto-fermentation:
fill a jar 2/3 to 3/4 with fresh nasturtium seed
add 1.5 % salt by weight
add enough water to cover the seeds
shake till the salt is dissolved
add 1 cm of oil
put the lid on loosely (the fermentation will produce CO2)
wait for a month
eat within a year.