Shared Kitchen

Real food from scratch

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Shop
  • Search

Pickled Nasturtium Buds

26 November 2019 by Julie Biuso Leave a Comment

Well, I had to do it. It’s the first year here on Waiheke that I have let the nasturtiums run rampant. I had been thinking about doing nasturtium pesto but I got side-tracked with the buds. I last pickled a bunch of buds back in 1984. True. Even George Orwell couldn’t have predicted that Julia might do that. But there you go.

They taste like capers, people say, because they just quote what other people write about them. They probably haven’t tasted them. Capers are complex, floral, herbaceous and when pickled in brine, they’re sea-salt briny, tangy and metallic. Intriguing. Nasturtium buds, like all parts of the plant, are in your face, weirdly giving off a weedy-greenleaf crushed bug ‘don’t come near me’ type of aroma, as sour as sorrel, acidic like oxalic, unwelcoming, a colourful bunch of flowers and leaves you leave outdoors in a jamjar rather than bring inside to put in a vase.

Nasturtium buds
Once the flowers bloom and whither the little bud is revealed!

Sure, they are peppery to taste, but it is all much of a sameness, kind of like biting into a giant radish that you wish you hadn’t because you can’t possibly eat any more of it without turning green. And like watercress, a little is good, fun and peppy but a great big mouthful is too much, too peppery, too mustardy, too sour, that’ll have you seeking out the vomitorium.

Yes, there’s a trick. You want young leaves, pale green, not large deep green jobbies, and just-opened flowers. The flowers are less aggressive, sweet spicy to start, then spicy to end. Quite nice. But you don’t want a salad of them, just a few here and there, and only eat the petals, don’t expect your guests to gobble up the whole flower with all its middle and end bits, unless you are all very hungry.

So to the buds. They are not capers. They don’t taste like capers but they can be used like capers. Harvest them after any dew has evaporated and before the sun gets on them. Then the difficult job of preparing them begins. HaHa! Wash them, dry them off on paper towels and put them in a clean glass jar. Pour pickling brine over them and refrigerate for 4 weeks before using. It takes all of 10 minutes.

1 cup white wine vinegar – something cheap, this is not the place for expensive chardonnay vinegar!

¼ tsp salt

6 peppercorns

1 Tbsp chopped shallot

1 clove garlic, peeled and thinly sliced

1 bay leaf

¼ tsp coriander seeds

1 small dried chilli

Put all the ingredients in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Boil for 1 minute. Cool. Put caper buds in a jar, pour over pickling brine, cover with a non-metallic lid and refrigerate for one month before using. Homemade pickled buds. I’ll let you know how they go!

Nasturtiums 3
Nasturtiums
Share Share on StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon
Tweet about this on Twitter
Twitter
share on Tumblr
Tumblr
Pin on Pinterest
Pinterest
Share on Facebook
Facebook

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You might also like...

Pineapple – Easy to prepare when you know how
Removing the eyes (little pesky bits) from a pineapple, and the core, ensures a tender mouthful of juiciness with every slice.
The remarkable date
Dates are seriously good for you. True!
Salmon & Potato Hash
Here's a great brunch munch – bulk it out with poached eggs, baked tomatoes, roasted fennel, that sort of thing.
Sizzled Haloumi Croutes with Roasted Grapes
A finger food that's hard to resist.
Oranges in season now!
Oranges, fresh or squeezed? Learn which does what best!

About this blog

Julie Biuso

Shared Kitchen is an ongoing collaboration between longtime New Zealand food personality Julie Biuso and upstart food blogger Ilaria Biuso.

Subscribe

Keep up to date with all the latest.

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Essentials

  • 10 minutes with…
  • Tastings
  • Kitchen things we like
  • Reviews
  • Sites I like
  • Weights & measures
  • Copyright & disclaimer

Categories

  • Recently posted
  • Julie’s Blog
  • Ilaria’s Blog & Recipes
  • Special occasions
  • Breakfast
  • Lunch
  • Dinner
  • Dessert
  • Spring
  • Summer
  • Autumn
  • Winter
  • Wine & drinks

Posts by month

  • + 2022
    • August (26)
    • July (87)
    • June (103)
    • May (70)
    • April (79)
    • March (116)
    • February (80)
    • January (9)
  • + 2021
    • December (13)
    • November (17)
    • October (13)
    • September (21)
    • August (12)
    • July (14)
    • June (13)
    • May (9)
    • April (10)
    • March (15)
    • February (11)
    • January (13)
  • + 2020
    • December (11)
    • November (16)
    • October (21)
    • September (19)
    • August (10)
    • July (7)
    • June (4)
    • May (4)
    • April (28)
    • March (15)
    • February (25)
    • January (13)
  • + 2019
    • December (18)
    • November (21)
    • October (18)
    • September (24)
    • August (27)
    • July (30)
    • June (19)
    • May (30)
    • April (38)
    • March (23)
    • February (24)
    • January (18)
  • + 2018
    • December (21)
    • November (25)
    • October (28)
    • September (23)
    • August (26)
    • July (27)
    • June (27)
    • May (25)
    • April (15)
    • March (20)
    • February (22)
    • January (19)
  • + 2017
    • December (13)
    • November (22)
    • October (23)
    • September (18)
    • August (25)
    • July (17)
    • June (22)
    • May (21)
    • April (19)
    • March (25)
    • February (19)
    • January (23)
  • + 2016
    • December (8)
    • November (17)
    • October (21)
    • September (22)
    • August (23)
    • July (13)
    • June (19)
    • May (22)
    • April (17)
    • March (21)
    • February (15)
    • January (15)
  • + 2015
    • December (20)
    • November (17)
    • October (10)
    • September (23)
    • August (16)
    • July (6)
    • June (13)
    • May (17)
    • April (8)
    • March (12)
    • February (8)
    • January (21)
  • + 2014
    • December (4)
    • November (2)
Shared Kitchen Online Shop

SHARED KITCHEN COOKBOOK

Buy our Shared Kitchen Cookbook

Get a signed copy by Julie & Ilaria Biuso

Julie & Ilaria Biuso Win BEST IN THE WORLD 2021 GOURMAND BOOK AWARDS

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch wins 2021 Gourmand Award

SHARED KITCHEN Real Food From Scratch has won Best In The World in the Blogger category at the Gourmand Cookbook Awards announced in Paris this month.

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

Gourmand Cookbook Awards 2015 Best Food Blogsite New Zealand

PRESS COVERAGE

Print  Radio  Television

Shared Kitchen radio and print interviews

Shared Kitchen

Shared Kitchen
Julie Biuso
2020

  • Home
  • About us
  • Cook’s notes
  • Ilaria’s kitchenette

© 2020 Please see our copyright page for conditions on use of content here

  • Home
  • About us
  • Ilaria’s Kitchenette
  • Store
  • Categories
    • Special occasions
    • Breakfast
    • Lunch
    • Dinner
    • Dessert
    • Baking
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
    • Winter
    • Wine & drinks
    • Back
  • Essentials
    • 10 minutes with…
    • Kitchen things we like
    • Recently posted
    • Reviews
    • Tastings
    • Tips & tricks
    • Something for the weekend
    • Weights & measures
    • What’s at the farmers’ markets
    • Back