One of the garden’s summer delights is Nasturtiums! Bright, bold and colourful, these easy to grow blooms add a delightful peppery flavour to salads, soups, vinaigrette, oils and vinegars. This Nasturtium ‘Caper’ Vinegar is easy to make and once steeped the peppery vinegar adds a wonderful punch of flavour to vinaigrette or any recipe that calls for vinegar. Flowers, leaves, stems and seeds are all edible and all used in this recipe to add layers of peppery flavour to the finished vinegar. Once steeped, be sure to save the pickled seeds as they taste similar to capers and can be used in the same way. The bonus? Nasturtiums have antibiotic and antimicrobial properties as well as a healthy dose of vitamin C!
Nasturtium ‘Caper’ Vinegar
Nasturtium ‘Caper’ VinegarINGREDIENTS
• 2 cups of nasturtium flowers, leaves, and stems, rinsed and chopped
• ¼ cup of nasturtium seeds (fresh are softer but dried works too)
• Apple cider vinegar, white wine vinegar or champagne vinegar
• Optional: 1-2 garlic cloves
HOW TO
1. Rinse seeds and set aside, Rinse and roughly chop flowers, leaves and stems
2. Pack them into a clean, pint size glass jar, starting with the seeds and ending with a few flower petals
3. Fill the jar with vinegar of choice
4. Cover and set aside in the fridge or a cool, dark spot for 1-2 weeks
5. Strain out the leaves and flowers, leaving behind the seeds
6. Keep stored in the fridge and use in vinaigrette or recipes calling for vinegar
TIPS
• Aphids love nasturtiums so give the flowers and leaves an extra rinse to get rid of any hitch-hikers!
• Pickled nasturtium seeds add a lovely peppery bite to pasta dishes
• Nasturtium vinegar is a flavourful addition to marinades
• Wake up soups or stews at the end of cooking with a splash of nasturtium vinegar
