Growing, preserving, and cooking with capers (and caperberries!)
Вставка
- Опубліковано 29 сер 2024
- Looking for an attractive, hardy, heat and drought tolerant, resilient plant? With edible buds, berries, leaves, and shoots? Plus, has gorgeous flowers?! The caper bush is your dream come true.
Learn all about this beauty, how to ferment its buds into delicious capers, and a recipe for cooking (and drinking!) with them.
If you are a desert dweller, be sure to check out the Vilardi Gardens guide to growing capers in the low desert:
www.vilardigard...
It's been brought to my attention that I was vague about the liquid in the jars, so here goes!
It is the same liquid in both jars -- just brine. What's in the big jar is from previous batches of the small jars. As the amount of brine in the small jar diminishes, I leave a little bit in there, and top it off with more salt and water, as needed.
Also, your fermentation time will vary, according to conditions and your preferences. Our kitchen is really warm, so that speeds things up. In addition, I like my capers with a little crunch in them, and more of that spicy, mustardy flavor, so I keep the fermentation short -- just 2-3 days. It could take a week or two for yours to get them how you like them.
Hope this helps!
You sold me. Greg is planting capers. Thanks
Happy growing!
Excellent video my friends…. I love capers I eat them 4 times a months or so. for the last 20 years..❤
My four year old son just discovered a love of capers and he was asking me for more information about them, so your video was perfect! Thank you so much!
That is awesome! Welcome!
Only recently I've really come to love capers, even on their own
My mouth was watering watching you make the dish!
Love using capers, so glad I subscribed a week or so ago. Thanks very much.
😆 P.Dean ride'n a butter stick. Loving the humour in your vids.👏
I forgot what I initially made that graphic for, but since I have it now, I sneak it in whenever I get the chance. 😂
I love your voice and tone.
Thank you Martha , I’m going to do this! Thanks to your video! And btw , dam girl you got some skills!
I knew capers are flower buds, but I've never seen them on the plant before. Also, I now know what part of the plant the berries come from. I'd assumed they were under the bloom, like a rose hip.
Oh and the bees love it.
Another a wonderful reason to grow them! 🐝🐝🐝
Thank you for the recipe ideas!
Such an amazing story like mini film !
Subscribed !
Best wishes from India 🇮🇳
Please, do another update video on Capers.
Thank you so much! I transplanted it recently and it does not look well. 😔 Hopefully, it survives so that I can make another! 🤞
Great video 💕 thanks for making it 😊
😎
Very nice video. Thank you! Would you mind sharing where I might find your recipe for the turmeric quinoa? Your finished meal looks amazing!
Thank you! I think I just made it up. If I recall, I cooked the diced chard stems (and maybe some onions?) in olive oil until they were soft and golden. Then, added the green parts of the chard and the quinoa, added an equal amount of water or stock, salt, and 1-2 Tbsp powdered turmeric, brought it to a boil, then covered and turned to low for about 15 minutes, or until the liquid was absorbed. Might have added a little lemon zest or juice at the end too. Hope this helps!
That sounds yummy! I never would have thought to add chard. Chard is the only thing still hanging on in my garden right now. I am in the So Cal high desert and we have had some freezes that killed just about everything else. Thank you for taking the time to reply with your recipe. I love quinoa and turmeric and am always looking for creative ways to work them into a meal.
I was doing a search for growing capers and happily found your channel. I look forward to watching more of your videos. You have a refreshing variety of content.
Welcome! I don't create much garden content for YT anymore, but I do occasionally post updates on Insta. 😉
Nice idea to brown the lemon slices for the piccata. I know you said fermenting, did you ever try dry salt brining?
I have not tried it, but if I get a decent crop this year (I pruned hard and transplanted plant, so it's recovering), I'll give it a go!
I’m about to move to zone 9, and I’ve always wanted to grow capers. How long from seed before they produce? I have a lot of experience germinating seeds, but is it better to just get an established plant?
I don't exactly recall, but I want to say that my plant was about 3 before it started producing. I bought mine at a year old. It's my understanding that they can be pretty tricky to germinate, and verrrrry slow. This is where I got my plant from, and they made a really informative fact sheet about growing capers in this area: vilardigardens.com/Growing_Capparis_spinosa-MaricopaCounty-AZ.pdf
So far I've found 3 plants growing as "weeds" in my yard. They have big ripe buds right now, I'm definitely going to pick them. Are the flowers edible as well?
No way -- that's awesome! According to the internets, the entire plant is edible. I guess that makes sense, since the flowers before they open are edible. 😀
Thanks, wasn't very clear for me what the caperberries are, i thought its a larger caper bud but its the fruit!
Nailed it!
Can I plant them in PA the United States and just move it inside when the weather turns colder???
I think it's worth a shot! Just make sure it's a deep, well-draining pot. Capers are native to a warm, rocky, dry, Mediterranean climate.
Don't you need to eventually refresh the brine with new salt?
In my experience, the salinity does not seem to go down. I only add more salt if I add more water.
In Sicily, we preserve them in salt (sotto sale)
Excellent! I put last year’s caper berries in salt.
I should probably check on them 😬
@@ShoestringMarthaNo need..they'll last forever! I have capers from 8+ yrs ago and they're fine!
😮😮😮
Hi - why did the Community Garden close down?
If I recall, the land was on loan from a company, and they decided to develop it, so the garden had to move. That was about 6-7 years ago, and it’s still just a dirt lot. 🙄
I have noticed that there is no thorns on the plant
This is true! I don’t know what variety this is that is thornless. It’s my understanding that wild varieties have thorns 😮
How can I get seeds of this variety? I live in Palestine
I wish I knew, so that I could share the information with you. I received my plant as a young start from a local nursery.
can it survive tropical climate?
I’m not really sure. It thrives in dry climates; it might struggle with the dampness.
How deep did you sow your seeds? Thank you 🤗
I bought my plant as a transplant, so I do not know anything about propagation from seed. 😕
@@ShoestringMartha ok . Thank you for responding. I’ve got a few seeds that I. Hoping will germinate…I’d love to make capers
@@thelotus4462 Good luck!
Is this what’s called Jamaican caper?
That would be Capparis cynophallophora. This is Capparis spinosa and it hails from the Mediterranean ☺️
you don't cook capers!
Sure did! 😂