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Do-it-yourself capers — a picking and pickling guide

Liz Steinberg June 21, 2009 at 1:00 am | Tags: , , , , , | 18 Comments

capers

We're used to seeing capers sold in little gourmet jars, and served in gourmet dishes at gourmet restaurants. Capers, it turns out, are a weed.

They grow wild around the Mediterranean, and Israel is no exception. Capers are referenced in the bible, and hung from the walls of Jerusalem over the centuries. In fact, apparently they're one of those plants that people have to pull out, because they're just that common.

For some reason, however, capers are not a very big part of local cuisine. In Hebrew, capers are called tslafim -- צלפים -- which also means sniper. I once asked for snipers on my pizza. In English.

caper-plant
I found this caper bush growing in a truck lot in Zichron Yaakov. A weed, indeed.

The pickled capers we most commonly eat are flower buds, picked in the morning, before they have time to open. If left to flower, the caper will produce a droplet-shaped berry, which can also be pickled. The berries are served as tapas in bars in southern Spain, alongside beer (they may have other uses, but that's how I've seen them). The Greeks, who utilize their capers better than we do, eat the leaves and branches of the plant too.

Before being pickled, these buds were a bright green with beautiful royal purple tips. They were also quite astringent. The pickling process mellows them out, and brings out mustard oil and rutin, a compound found in the herb rue, which crystallizes into little green and lavender spots on the pickled bud's olive-green skin.

While there are many different ways of preparing the brine, I chose the simplest method -- vinegar, water and salt. You could also add spices and herbs, like bay leaves and peppercorns, but I wanted the caper's flavor to dominate.

flowering caper

After a quick rinse, I put half my capers straight into the brine. The other half I left in water and rinsed daily for three days (one of the larger caper buds blossomed, water-lily like), before putting them in brine as well. Both batches were ready within six days, although the capers that spent three days in water had a milder, less astringent flavor.

The quantities below yield one small glass jar full of pickled capers. (The jar in the photo is half the batch.)

pickled capers

To prepare 100 grams of pickled caper buds:

1/2 cup wine (or sherry) vinegar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon salt

Rinse the capers, and discard any with worm holes. Let the capers soak in water, and rinse and replace the water once a day for three days.

Prepare the brine mixture of vinegar, water and salt in a jar, and add the capers. Let sit for another three days. The capers and will then be ready to eat, but also can be left to sit for a longer period of time.

Once pickled, store the jar of capers and brine in your refrigerator.

More links about pickling capers:

Botanical information about caper plants in Israel:

More of my pickling guides: Do-it-yourself olives #1 (basic pickling technique), and do-it-yourself olives #2 (extensions).

More of my caper recipes.


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18 Comments »

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  1. WOW I have never seen capers in their natural state ever before. You’ve done an excellent job pickling it for only then can I recognise it! ;)

    Comment by The Purple Foodie — June 21, 2009 #

  2. Believe it or not, this was the first time I saw them too! And apparently they’re everywhere here. I can’t take too much credit for the pickling, since they practically pickled themselves — no fuss at all.

    BTW, I like your blog, I left you a comment.

    Comment by Liz — June 21, 2009 #

  3. [...] fresh, young cheeses as well as healthy herbs, so I threw all of the above together, along with my home-pickled capers, to make a quick [...]

    Pingback by Cafe Liz » White cheese with capers and herbs -- Kosher vegetarian recipes from my kitchen in Tel Aviv — June 30, 2009 #

  4. i’m glad you liked the recipe i posted about capers – it really works, and i am still enjoying last year’s capers from the same jar

    Comment by maria v — July 8, 2009 #

  5. Wow, how cool! I don’t think capers grow in New Zealand but I am going to keep my eyes out from now on, I love capers! Any idea what the plant is called?

    Comment by Peasepudding — July 27, 2009 #

  6. The plant is called a caper. I don’t think they grow in New Zealand, either, since they’re native to the Mediterranean, but hey, you never know. Maybe they’re cultivated there.

    Comment by Liz — August 2, 2009 #

  7. Thanks Maria! I especially liked your information about how caper plants are used in Greece.

    Comment by Liz — August 2, 2009 #

  8. The latin name is: Capparis Spinosa and I have a plant growing quite happily in South Australia but our climate is somewhat Mediterranean here.

    Comment by Elsje — May 15, 2010 #

  9. Thank you for the inspiration.
    Just asked myself if i could cultivate a caper bush..

    Great, exotic idea!

    Comment by a-man — May 15, 2010 #

  10. [...] Liz pickles her own capers in Tel Aviv (and has some good caper resource links) [...]

    Pingback by Caper Love – Chicken Salad with Capers and Lemon | The Blog That Ate Manhattan — September 3, 2010 #

  11. Hello Liz! Thank you for posting directions for pickling capers. My little caper plant came alive this summer. As a matter of fact, I didn’t notice the capers until they grew into large, oblong caperberries. After soaking them in water for 3 days, I followed your direction for making the brine using white wine vinegar. I added some Herbs de Provence and garlic cloves. The pickled capers are delicious! Your basic brine mixture is perfect – not too salty or acidic, as is often the case with commercially prepared capers. I still have buds on my plant so I am hoping to be able to pickle another batch soon. Thank you again for great, easy to follow directions.

    Comment by Sandie — November 7, 2010 #

  12. Glad to hear it! I haven’t actually tried adding herbs to my pickled capers, but that sounds like a good idea. I’ll give it a shot next time I get my hands on some fresh berries.

    Comment by Liz — November 15, 2010 #

  13. We in Cyprus eat the whole plant and they grow all over the place. I have never pickled them before, but will have a go with your instructions. Thank you
    Christine

    Comment by V. Christine Nicola — June 14, 2011 #

  14. Good luck! How do you eat the rest of the plant? Do you stir-fry it?

    Comment by Liz — June 27, 2011 #

  15. No, You pickle the whole stems, but you have to pick them while they are very young as the thorns are too sharp and strong otherwise and the stem woody. I understand that it is only in Cyprus that they eat them this way. Perhaps worth a try.

    Comment by V. Christine Nicola — June 27, 2011 #

  16. Thanks, I’ll have to give that a try. It’s certainly not something you see around here. I think I heard that they pickle the leaves and stems in parts of Greece, too, BTW.

    Comment by Liz — June 27, 2011 #

  17. I am in southern Turkey and have seen a few of these bushes growing by the roadside.
    I have picked enough buds to fill a jam jar and am pickling them now.
    I have seen other people collecting the buds as well. In Turkey they are called geberotu.

    Comment by Peter — July 10, 2011 #

  18. Cool! Good luck. I’m glad that people take advantage of them in Turkey. I don’t know why Israelis don’t really use them.

    Comment by Liz — July 11, 2011 #

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