Things just seem to grow in Italy. On my walk from Ponte a Serraglio to the next part of Bagni di Lucca, La Villa, the sides of the hills are crowded with plants. These change according to the season. In spring bluebells, daffodils and snow drops appear, there is always something to look at.
Before I left in May 2010 I noticed caper plants beginning to grow from a rock wall. By October,when I returned, they were almost finished their season. Now, in February, they look dead, but I’m sure they will be back soon.
capers growing wild from the wall
how do they grow on a wall?
the last of the flowers
more flowers
capers
caperberries
I wonder if anyone picks them. Perhaps they don’t taste very good. I wouldn’t know what to do to them to make them edible so there is not much use me taking them home. Not to worry, I love seeing them growing wild on the wall.
The unopened buds of the flowers are what we know as capers. They can be eaten fresh or preserved in salt or vinegar. The salted ones are better, as vinegar interferes with the delicate flavour and makes them a bit soft. You won’t go back to the vinegar ones after you have tried the salted version.
salted capers
The plants also produce milder-tasting, long stemmed fruit called caperberries. These are usually preserved in brine and are delicious. You can eat them as you would olives, or use them as you would capers.
I’ll be keeping an eye on the plants to see when they start to grow again.
I was saying to John the other day next year we should try to goes capers, here need a nice sunny wall, just love em!
By: Roz on February 8, 2011
at 5:26 am
You should do it, they can’t be that hard to grow.
By: bagnidilucca on February 8, 2011
at 7:30 pm
It is the first time I see capers growing……Lovely. And just there on the way to La Villa,Love your blog Deb!
By: Anonymous on February 8, 2011
at 5:51 am
Thank you.
By: bagnidilucca on February 8, 2011
at 7:27 pm
Yum.
By: The Daily Cure on February 8, 2011
at 6:57 am
Oh yes salted ones are divine and as you say it’s hard to go back to vinegar ones.
By: Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella on February 8, 2011
at 7:07 am
Looks like spring has sprung. We brought some back from Aeolian islands, salted and in cryovac packs, and have been using liberally!! Beautiful plant! Sigh, I miss Italy…
By: Mary Louise Tucker on February 8, 2011
at 8:09 am
I just love caper sauce, – and caperberries – very addictive. Great to see them growing.
By: mary D on February 8, 2011
at 8:46 am
Me too! I haven’t seen wild capers growing either. So interesting to see them…, I wonder if they’re a bit like olives as you soak ‘n brine ’em 😉
By: Anna Johnston on February 8, 2011
at 9:13 am
How wonderful to see the caperberries! Golly I love your photos! I’m sure you could do them yourself! I love those big ones much more than the little ones
Substitutes for capers are nasturtium seeds – I even put some in some piccallili last autumn and I had dinner with some German friends who told me that young green elderberries can be salted and used in a similar way…. Spring is creeping in here too, but we have fog this morning.
By: Joanna @ Zeb Bakes on February 8, 2011
at 9:29 am
I love the caperbrries too. I can’t stop eating when they are in front of me.
By: bagnidilucca on February 8, 2011
at 7:29 pm
Oh Deb! You’ve just reminded me of the Pizza Naples topped with anchovies and capers… MammaMia! So much salt.. Don’t like “la Napoletana” It is full of capers!!!
I don’t mind capers when I cook them with meat (kind of scaloppine). 😉
By: Jaqueline on February 8, 2011
at 10:43 am
Hey Deb yummy yes you can pick them the best time is when the new growth is young you can pick them and add some salty brine and store them in a air tight container for a month or so and then eat them just like olives very yummy.
By: Sam on February 8, 2011
at 11:33 pm
Hi Deb – yummy yum! I had the most delectable beef Carpaccio with salted capers and white tomato sorbet at Sparrow in North Adelaide recently. Your pictures have just brought it all back for me (in a good way!). I was never really a big fan until then, as I never realised capers could be so nice. So glad I was wrong.
By: Amber on February 9, 2011
at 1:45 am
I’ve never seen them growing before…
By: cityhippyfarmgirl on February 9, 2011
at 3:06 am
I don’t have idea about “capers” We don’t eat something like that in Indonesia.. 😀
Is the taste like olive? I am wondering that might be fresh-sour, hahahaha… cmmiw
By: Prima on February 11, 2011
at 5:32 am
Capers are often used with fish. Tartare sauce uses capers. It is hard to describe the taste – a little like olives I guess, but that is because they are prepared in a similar way.
By: bagnidilucca on February 11, 2011
at 1:28 pm
What is the latin name?
By: K. Openshaw on March 21, 2011
at 9:29 pm
The latin name for caper is capparis spinosa. It is derived from capra, meaning goat, because of its strong smell.
By: bagnidilucca on March 21, 2011
at 9:53 pm
[…] here to see more on the wild […]
By: Bagni di Lucca lizards love the sun « Bagni di Lucca and Beyond on July 6, 2011
at 9:35 am