Nasturtium Capers




nasturtiums add needed colour to the garden,
and attract bees and butterflies

nasturtium seed pods dangling off the vine





this may surprise you, but you can makes capers with nasturtium seed pods! i first heard of the idea last year. it seemed like a good idea, caper berries are an acutal berries of a certain shrub, and nasturtium capers are something like the 'poor mans' version. their flavour has a hint of the nasturtium spice you get in the flowers that mellows once pickled. if you have loads of nasturtium plants in your garden, is worth the hour it takes picking and jaring up these little buds. i got half a pint of seed pods from 3 plants, and i could have kept going.  this recipe suits that amount perfectly.

 

a pint o' pods

 

 

Harvesting Pods: pick the seed pods once they have turned green and big on the vine. don't use seed pods that have fallen off plants, they've dried up and will make new plants next year.

 

Romanesco - with recipe

wether romanesco, is a type of brocolli or cauliflower seems to be of some debate. i've  found it listed under both varieties of brassica. to me its more cauli-like in appearance but the taste is  mild and creamy, almost nutty, similar to brocolli. romanesco only needs light cooking, as it has a more delicate texture than its brassica relatives, and is perfect raw as crudites. romanesco really does look as good as it tastes, with tiny pyramidal spirals interlocking over each chartreuse head, its a wonder why you don't see more of this veggie on people plates or in their garden plots. my homegrown heads never seem to get perfect buds but you can see what i mean here.

from plot, to plate, to mouth - in minutes

im all for growing interesting varieties of veg that are hard to find on shop shelves. so this beautiful brassica made the grade.  i've been growing romanesco in my garden for the past 3 years with varying success. in fact i've been using the same seed packet the whole time! this 3rd year has given the best crop, so far. which i suspect is due mostly to my pimping new raised beds, filled with 'ancient' rotted sheep manure and a layer of rich compost. its not just the romanesco that are flying it, my potatoes are a verdant living hedge - blocking the garden from prevailing winds! the mangetout have had an amazing crop, and im still getting lettuce leaves 12 weeks later. romanesco is another veg, like celery, that i will always save room for, at least a couple plants, in my garden.