Comments on: Do-it-yourself capers — a picking and pickling guide

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 21:21:50 +0000

Indeed! I think I’ve pricked myself hunting for capers, too.

By: melissa

melissa — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 21:53:19 +0000

thorn warning: for would-be pick(l)ers, beware of prickers! I ventured out harvesting capers yesterday and got a handful! – not just of the flower buds I was seeking (yeah), but many little painful pin pricks (ouch). in retrospect, gardening gloves wouldn’t have hurt (or would certainly have hurt less).

By: Helen

Helen — Mon, 21 May 2012 18:15:52 +0000

I adore capers and pickled caper leaves and having lived in Cyprus for 8 years, surrounded by caper bushes around our rural plot of land, I decided to have a go at pickling both the caper berries and the stems and leaves which we are often given as a free starter in many local tavernas.

We eat the stems, thorns and all over here, but the trick is to pick the leaves while soft so the thorns aren’t too hard, snip off any thorns that feel sharp, then pour boiling water over the stems to soften. Repeat the following day and on the third day, rinse and cover the stems with rock salt for 24 hours. Finally, rinse any excess salt off the stems and cover with white vinegar.

I’m going to try your method of pickling the berries and then compare flavours. Yum!

Here are some pics of the leaves growing outside my garden fence including the beautiful flowers which appear if you leave the berries to open instead of picking them to pickle!

By: Dorte

Dorte — Fri, 29 Jul 2011 14:35:07 +0000

hi, just followed your pickling instructions. very nice

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 12:32:05 +0000

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.

By: Peter

Peter — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 17:13:59 +0000

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.

By: Liz

Liz — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 10:41:08 +0000

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.

By: V. Christine Nicola

V. Christine Nicola — Mon, 27 Jun 2011 09:29:13 +0000

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.

By: Liz

Liz — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 22:40:47 +0000

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

By: V. Christine Nicola

V. Christine Nicola — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 11:32:12 +0000

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