Nasturtium Seed Pods

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wildberries

Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 23
Location: highlands

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 10:24 pm Post subject: Nasturtium Seed Pods
Has anybody ever pickled Nasturtium seed pods. It was on the tv programme The Victorian Kitchen yesterday. The seed pods are broken into singles and packed into small jars with 1oz salt about 6 peppercorns then the jar is filled with vinegar.These used to be used as capers. I wondered if it would be worth trying.

Pilsbury

Joined: 13 Dec 2004
Posts: 5645
Location: East london/Essex

Posted: Wed Feb 09, 05 11:31 pm Post subject:

I have done this and they worked really well. Pick the seeds when nice and plump and they taste great in a salad or in tartar sauce. Iam going to grow them this year cos you can eat nearly every part of the plant and they look great, the flowers and leaves are great n salads then pickel the seeds.
I do mine in hanging baskets cos it keeps them away from most pests ( and I dont have any soil in the garden)

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 8:39 am Post subject:
They don't work out quite like capers, they're kind of a bit more oniony and with less bite, but they're well worth pickling.

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 8:41 am Post subject:
When/where was the Victorian Kitchen on, Wildberries? I've got the book out from the library at the moment, and saw that in there. If you like I can check and see if it gives any further details. IT's a very good book - I've borrowed the Wartime Kitchen & Garden in the past and that's excellent too.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 10:16 am Post subject:
I tried this once. The recipe involved soaking the seeds for several days. The smell was so overpoweringly repulsive I threw them out. Does anyone have recipe that doesn't pong so badly?

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 10:22 am Post subject:

Judith wrote:

I tried this once. The recipe involved soaking the seeds for several days. The smell was so overpoweringly repulsive I threw them out. Does anyone have recipe that doesn't pong so badly?

Do exactly the same recipe, but do it in the shed

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 10:25 am Post subject:
I like your thinking!

wildberries

Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 23
Location: highlands

Posted: Thu Feb 10, 05 3:56 pm Post subject:
Bugs The Victorian Kitchen programme finished yesterday. It was on UKTV Food.I will have a look out for Wartime kitchen & garden sounds a good book. many thanks for everyones suggestions I like the bit "Do it in the shed" I hope they dont smell that much but I will give it a try.I normally grow nasturtiums in hanging baskets. wildberries

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 8:53 am Post subject:

Was about to do a new post on this but have bumped this instead.

Just thinking about nasturtium 'capers' as we've just eaten the last of last year's and I'm annoyed I haven't got any left for dinner party on Saturday!

Wildberries, check out two previous discussions on this - sorry, don't know how to make them link to this - but search on 'nasturtium capers' or 'natsturtum buds' and they come up - from 2007 and 2008. Includes dpacks recipe, which is what I've used - just wash them and bung in jar with black pepper and cover with balsamic vinegar.

This worked well and I agree with him that they are not quite like capers but may be better - they serve something of the same function in dressings and sauces anyway.

However, I also tried out just putting them in a jar with lots of coarse sea salt - and these were stunning!

More crunchy than capers - kept their crunch all year - really good in lentil or rice salads, or in dressings for fish or peppery salads with rocket 'n stuff.

We grow them as companion plants at the allotment (or is it sacrifice plants, can never remember) - this year I am going to remember to pickle lots and lots of them.

Don't remember them being particularly pongy - perhaps there's something wrong with my sense of smell.

mochyn

Joined: 21 Dec 2004
Posts: 24585
Location: mid-Wales

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 8:59 am Post subject:
We always have pots of Nasturtiums in the yard ( and a few volunteers in the gardens!) I put leaves and flowers in salads, but this year I'm going to try the sea salt dry thing.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 9:03 am Post subject:

VM wrote:

However, I also tried out just putting them in a jar with lots of coarse sea salt - and these were stunning!

More crunchy than capers - kept their crunch all year - really good in lentil or rice salads, or in dressings for fish or peppery salads with rocket 'n stuff.

Now that sounds nice and straightforward. Will definitely try that this year.

VM

Joined: 23 Nov 2007
Posts: 1748
Location: Lincolnshire

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 9:07 am Post subject:
I used a lot of salt, so they were well covered on top - and then you need to rinse it off a bit when you use them - same as if you buy capers in salt. I also kept them in the fridge as I think dpack suggested with the vinegar treatment - but you get quite a lot in a jar, or several small jars, which is what I think I shall do this year - so they don't take up much room.

cab

Joined: 01 Nov 2004
Posts: 32429

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 9:07 am Post subject:
I haven't pickled nasturtium pods for years. I should do some again this year. I've already got my nasturtiums sown, so I won't be putting any more in this year. But for next year, which ones have the tastiest pods?

Penny Outskirts

Joined: 18 Sep 2005
Posts: 23385
Location: Planet, not on the....

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 9:12 am Post subject:
I've bought some to go in this year, think I'll try the salt method too.

joanne

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 7100
Location: Morecambe, Lancashire

Posted: Mon Apr 26, 10 9:20 am Post subject:
Sounds interesting - I've just planted some nasturtiums - think I might try that too

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