We are lucky to have a couple of caper bushes on our land (they grow just randomly almost next to the road below us) so today we have been out foraging - we are a little late in the year to start .....we should have done this in June but we have been busy so today was the day. Ali and out set out with our little buckets and a BIG warning to Ali that there are nasty spiky thorns on these plants!
I didnt realise (until I read the article below) that you can pick and pickle the leaves.......might give that a go one day too.
I can't wait to pickle our collection......we use them all the time in our fish dishes and I make homemade tartare sauce and they are delicious in it.
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| Foraged lacto-fermented
capers |
If you live in a warm dry place, you've probably
seen these plants growing everywhere. Any place that looks too inhospitable for
any plant to possibly grow, thats where you'll find these, whether you're
talking about in the middle of a wall of pure rock or in dirt that hasn't seen
any water in months. And they're stubborn little things- once this plant decides
to set its roots somewhere, it digs them in long and deep, and you'll have no
luck killing the plant, no matter how many attempts you make on its life.
What plant is this?
Capparis spinosa, the caper bush.
Caper bushes have been a source of food millenia- I
know there are references to this plant as a food source even in the Bible! But
how the first person who started using caper bushes as a food source ever got
the idea is beyond me, as every single part of the plant tastes quite nasty when
first picked off the bush and needs some preparation in order to make it
palatable. (Probably the same person who discovered olives are edible, as they
also taste vile straight off the tree.)
Speaking of every part of the plant... I don't know of
another plant where so many different parts of the same plant are edible and are
used for food! In capers, the roots are used medicinally (as well as many other
parts of the plant), and the shoots, leaves, flower buds, and berries are all
eaten as food. I have no experience eating the shoots or roots of the plant, but
have prepared capers (the unopened flower buds), caper leaves, and caper berries
(the fruit of the plant) to eat and its quite an experience, I have to tell
you.
The foods taste like no other, with a smell like dirty
feet, but they're a great addition to all sorts of Italian and Greek dishes,
making them worthwhile to prepare at home if you can find a bush (or two or 10)
in your area.
How do you identify caper
plants?
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| Note where its growing! In a
tiny crack between an asphalt sidewalk and a stone
wall! |
Well, they're a thorn bush, for one, so if you don't
see thorns, its not a caper bush.
They usually sprawl everywhere, in many different
directions, without any apparent rhyme or reason.
They've got round green leaves ranging in diameter from
dime to half dollar size, and they're a bright green.
Quite often the stems
are bright purple, but they also can be a muted maroon-sh brown.
The best way, really, to identify a caper bush is by
the unopened flower buds along the stem or by their beautiful luscious
flowers.
To find a caper bush, you'll want to look in the most
unlikeliest of places, places where you're sure no life can grow. The ramparts
of the castle of Santa Bárbaraare in Spain are one of the many absurd places
that capers grow. But the best place to look for capers is in the same exact
spot that you saw a bush the year before- because as I said above, no matter how
many times you try to cut them down, capers won't die, and won't disappoint, for
every year you can be rest assured that they'll be there, barring some
miracle.
As usual with foraging, the most annoying weeds,
especially thorny weeds, often make very good food. Capers are the perfect
example of this. A prickly bush that you can't kill no matter how you try? Might
as well put it to use in the kitchen, as I do
thistle
and nettles.
To pick and pickle your own capers, caper leaves, and
caper berries, you'll want to first identify your caper plant.
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| Caper buds (capers) before
pickling |
Once doing that, decide what you want- do you
want plain capers, the leaves, or the berries? (You won't usually find caper
buds and berries at the same time on the same plant, as the buds open up to make
the flowers, which then become fertilized to make the berries.) Bring a bag or
container to hold each of these, and pick away, keeping the different types
separate. Expect to get pricked one time or a million unless you use gardening
gloves. (I prefer to work gloveless and have become somewhat adept at avoiding
the thorns.) All sizes of caper buds and leaves are fine, but the bigger berries
often don't taste as good.
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| Caper leaves in a jar before
pickling. |
If you dare, taste them now. They're vile.
They're filled with mustard oil that you'll want to release in order to make
them palatable. To do so, you'll want to soak them in plain water, changing it
daily, for a week.
During this time, you'll see many changes happening to
the leaves, berries, and buds. They'll go from a bright green (and sometimes
purple) to a drab olive green, with lighter green splotches on their surface. At
the same time, every time you come near the jars of your soaking caper parts,
you'll catch a whiff of a disgusting odor, and that's good, because it means the
bad stuff is getting released and isn't remaining in the food you want to eat.
The water will also likely change color to a yellowish, greenish color, possibly
with little white things floating on the surface. You want that to happen- it
means things are working out right!
At the end of the week, when your plant matter has
changed color and finished releasing most of its bad flavor, you'll want to
pickle these.
A salty vinegary brine is the typical way to do this,
but lacto-fermenting it in salt water also works great. (If you do want to do it
vinegary, just mix salt, vinegar, and water to taste and pour it on to the caper
parts.)
This time, I chose to make mine lacto-fermented, using
approximately one tablespoon of salt for every cup of water. (This will be very
salty, saltier than your standard lacto-fermented pickles, but you want it
salty, as capers are supposed to have a salty taste.)
Keep your lacto-fermenting caper parts in a warm place
for a few days, tasting them daily. When they have the right amount of tang and
saltiness, put them in your fridge. They should last a long time, as a little
bit goes a long way. Fortunately, capers don't spoil if prepared properly, so
you can keep a batch made in the summer all year round, until capers are once
again ready to be picked.
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Foraged lacto-fermented
capers
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Capers have a taste that is extremely
complex, and according to many, is an acquired taste. Its sharp, piquant, and
quite strongly flavored.
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Foraged lacto-fermented caper
leaves
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Caper leaves, in my opinion, taste
somewhat like salty hardboiled eggs, but you'll have to try them yourself to see
if my description is good or not. They're typically eaten together with
fish.
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| Pickled caper berries |
Caper berries
taste rather like caper buds, with a slightly different taste.
And oh yea- one last final thing- capers grow only in
the summer! I'm finding caper buds now in May on some local bushes, and these
bushes will likely be continuing to have more buds and flower and eventually
make berries all throughout the season until September or even later.
Note: Bugs LOVE capers! Be sure to check your caper
buds or leaves for bug holes or other signs of infestation if you want to avoid
eating little ants, etc... with your capers.
I realize that these plants only grow in warm places
like where I live, but wanted to share my tips on how to make these for those
people in the same general region and just to have the information out there
because there is a severe lack of information on how to prepare these on
Google.
