• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

FORAGER | CHEF

Award-winning chef, author and forager Alan Bergo. Food is all around you.

  • Home
  • About
  • Mushrooms
    • Mushroom Archive
    • Posts by Species
      • Other Mushrooms
        • Lobster Mushrooms
        • Huitlacoche
        • Shrimp of the Woods
        • Truffles
        • Morels
        • Shaggy Mane
        • Hericium
        • Puffball
      • Polypores
        • Hen of the Woods
        • Dryad Saddle
        • Chicken of The Woods
        • Cauliflowers
        • Ischnoderma
        • Beefsteak
      • Chanterelles
        • Black Trumpet
        • Hedgehogs
        • Yellowfeet
      • Gilled
        • Matsutake
        • Honey Mushrooms
        • Russula / Lactarius
          • Candy Caps
          • Saffron Milkcap
          • Indigo Milkcap
      • Boletes
        • Porcini
        • Leccinum
        • Slippery Jacks
    • Recipes
      • Fresh
      • Dried
      • Preserves
    • The Basics
  • Plants
    • Plant Archive
    • Leafy Green Recipes
      • Leafy Green Plant Varieties
    • Ramps and Onions
    • Wild Herbs and Spices
      • Spruce and Conifers
      • Pollen
      • Prickly Ash
      • Bergamot / Wild Oregano
      • Spicebush
      • Golpar / Cow Parsnip
      • Wild Carraway
    • Wild Fruit
      • Wild Plums
      • Highbush Cranberry
      • Wild Grapes
      • Rowanberries
      • Wild Cherries
      • Aronia
      • Nannyberry
      • Wild Blueberries
    • From The Garden
    • Nuts, Roots, Tubers and Grains
    • Stalks and Shoots
  • Meat
    • Four-Legged Animals
      • Venison
      • Small Game
    • Poultry
    • Fish/Seafood
    • Offal and Organ Meat Recipes
    • Charcuterie
  • Recipes
    • Pickles, Preserves, Etc
    • Fermentation
    • Condiments
    • Appetizers
    • Soup
    • Salad
    • Side Dishes
    • Entrees
    • Baking
    • Sweets
  • Video
    • Field, Forest Feast (The Wild Harvest)
    • Foraging Videos
    • Lamb and Goat Series
    • YouTube Tutorials
  • Press
    • Podcasts / Interviews
  • Work
    • Public Speaking
    • Charity and Private Dinners
    • Forays / Classes / Demos

Wild Capers (Lacto-Fermented)

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

dandelion capers Currently I work at a restaurant where we are not allowed to use any ingredients that do not grow within 300 miles of Minnesota. Small exceptions are made for things like salt, if there is some sort of natural disaster that destroys produce, or if the local purveyors just can’t seem to get it right.

This year the local fennel was absolute crap (it was all “bolted”-starting it’s reproductive cycle) which means that the fennel grows a bit longer and stringy and the core is huge inside which makes it have a woody texture when cooked.

Scarlet turnips ended up being garbage from a local amish purveyor as well, for some reason even when cooked, they were woody and stringy inside. When the goal of the turnips is to change them into a soup that will be sold at 12$ for a 4oz ladle, the turnips must be absolutely perfect.

Dandelion Buds For Capers

In all reality though, the concept of only using indigenous products was really a shock when I was first introduced to it. Couple this with the fact that I am given the leeway to use these ingredients in any way I please, and you really create a monster.

The creative freedom was a gift, but one that came with a caveat. I am a bit obsessed with Italian food, but I was  stripped of all of the imported toys and secret weapons I had relied on and studied. Parmigiano Reggiano, Arborio rice, salt water fish, shellfish like mussels, clams, and my beloved whelks. Pasta would be a no-no too, any sort of noodle or gnocchi I wanted to make would have to be hand made.

It took some time and plenty of occasions with me in the cooler tapping on my head saying: “Think, think, think” like Winnie the Pooh. Eventually I started to see things through my new lens though, and now it is not as difficult.  The method for wild capers I’m going to share with you here is a great example of ingredient improvisation, although I definitely wasn’t the first to do it.

DIY capers are nothing new 

Most of the time if you are talking about making capers yourself, from my experience chefs will bring up nasturtium capers, where the seed pods of the plant are preserved with salt, brined or pickled. This spring, when I was walking around looking at the spring growth, I started to notice other things that looked like capers. I thought it might be cool to create them out of many different plants, and I had a paradigm shift that went something like this:

“Capers don’t have to be from a particular Mediterranean vine. A caper can be the unopened flower bud of  many different plants.”

After that I started going out and picking all the tiny little flower buds I could find. I put up about a quart of each in salt/vinegar brines, and waited a couple months. Stopping to pick the buds doesn’t take a while, but it is important to be careful and only pick the most tiny, hard, immature buds.

What can you use to make homemade capers? 

I’ve made and enjoyed capers from the following plants so far:

  • Very small daylily flower buds
  • Ramp scapes
  • Dandelion buds (these need to be pre-cooked for 3-4 minutes to be tender before brining) 
  • Nasturtium seed pods
  • Chive blossoms
  • Rattail radish seed pods
  • Green milkweed flower buds

The big question: ferment your capers, or no? 

This is the biggest thing that will affect the flavor and texture of your capers. Here’s the thing: most capers from the store will have vinegar in the ingredient list, but I suspect it’s only added as a preservative for industrial processing, and is completely unnecessary.

Combining water, salt, and flower buds (or just about anything) left alone, will start to ferment, and eventually, the lactic acid created by the fermentation will lower the PH, and make it shelf stable, all on it’s own. But, vinegar is faster. The choice is yours.

Every flower bud and seed pod caper will taste different 

The really fun part about the wild capers was that they retain a bit of their individual flavors after curing, so chive capers are still a bit onion-y and dandelions a little bitter/astringent. Young capers made day lily buds are vegetal, and mild. Nasturtium capers taste identical to commerical, store-bought capers. Milkweed capers will form mold quickly, and should be refrigerated after 24 hours, or vacuum sealed to prevent any air contact.

Making the capers at home is very simple, gathering them at the perfect stage of growth is the tricky part. If you have access to a small garden with a couple herbs and flowers, its easy, here’s the recipe.

Lacto fermented dandelion capers
Print Recipe
5 from 1 vote

Lacto-Fermented Capers 

Naturally fermented and preserved flower bud "capers"
Prep Time5 mins
Fermenting time7 d
Course: Appetizer, Snack
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: Capers, Dandelion Buds, DIY

Ingredients

  • 25 grams kosher salt 1.5 tablespoons
  • 500 grams water 2 cups
  • Unopened flower buds seed pods, etc, as needed

Instructions

  • Combine the water and salt and whisk to dissolve. Pour the salt water in to a Canning jar and add the seed pods flower buds or whatever you're using, then screw on the lid. Leave the jar on the counter for 3-5 days to start fermenting, or even longer, then transfer to the fridge.
  • Open the jar here and there to check on the capers and release carbon dioxide. After about 2 weeks the capers should have a nice flavor, but if you leave them in the fridge longer they will continue to age and develop until the pH is as low as it can go.
  • More or less, the longer they sit, the better they will get, and you can let your palette be your guide. The capers will keep for a very, very long time, as long as they're kept completely underneath the brine.

Notes

Tough Capers 
Most flower buds and seed pods are good as is after fermenting, dandelion buds aren't. If you ferment dandelion capers you'll want to either can them afterwords or simmer them in some of their brine until tender and taste good to you. 
Brine and salt %
The proportions listed will give you a 5% brine if you use a either a scale or volume measurements (cups, etc). From there, you just need enough of the brine to cover the amount of seed pods, buds or whatever else you have. It's a good idea to make sure the buds are covered with more brine than you think you'll need. 2 cups of water will cover 1 cup of dandelion capers just fine. Since you should always use a gram scale for measuring ferments, you can scale the brine and always get the same result, no matter what you're "capering".
Alternate Method: Weighing everything and multiplying by .03 (%)
Another easy way to ferment the capers is to simply put your jar on a scale, tare it to zero, working in grams, add the capers and water to cover by a good inch or two, then multiply the total grams of the contents by .03, which will be a similar salt content to what I have listed above. Both ways work fine. 
Storing and leaks
I often store ferments in the fridge inside of a slightly larger container to catch any drips. 

Related

Previous Post: « Dried Puffball Mushroom Gravy
Next Post: Duck Egg Pasta with Wild Herbs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Iris Weaver

    December 12, 2013 at 7:44 am

    Wow, another way to use edible flowers and weeds! Awesome!

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      December 12, 2013 at 10:55 am

      Thanks Iris, if you have any interesting uses for flowers and weeds you’d like to share, send em over!

      Reply
      • trish Hannah

        June 17, 2014 at 3:11 pm

        could try Evening Primrose, albiet kinda small but healthy! Haven’t tried myself but I love the idea of something else for capers! Especially deep fried for that ‘crunch’.

        Reply
  2. Julie Morse

    April 27, 2017 at 9:39 pm

    I really think I might make these. I made chive blossom vinegar last spring using champagne vinegar. I love the beautiful pink color. But my chive buds are just starting to come up. I grow all but the ramps. Thanks for your creativity, it is inspiring!

    Reply
  3. Lesley Perry

    June 16, 2019 at 5:13 pm

    “The proportions listed will give you a 5% brine”

    But they don’t. They give you a 3% brine.
    1% of 500 grams is 5 grams. So 15 grams would be 3% (15 / 5 is 3).
    Same goes for the volumetric ration. 1tb is 1/16 of a cup so here you have 1/32 which is also roughly 3%.

    Was 3% the intent or 5%?

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      June 16, 2019 at 8:42 pm

      You’re absolutely correct, 15 / 5 is 3, thanks for pointing that out, and for the math lesson. Maybe subconsiously I wanted to slow my fermentation. I use 3% brine for simple ferments.

      Reply
  4. Gloria

    July 2, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    Thanks for the recipe… but these are all caper substitutes, no? As far as I’m aware, only capers from Capparis Spinosa are capers? Hence the name? And I’d only heard of Nasturtium seed being pickled as caper substitute – so interesting to find I can pickle the bud! Thank you for this!

    Reply
  5. Veronica D Misloski

    June 16, 2021 at 11:59 pm

    The Lowes add in the middle of the recipe with videos and all over the bottom of the page really screams “forager chef”

    Reply
    • Alan Bergo

      June 17, 2021 at 12:16 pm

      News flash Veronica: most of the website on the internet have ads. I spent 8 years writing this site and putting money into it, and I never asked for a thing. When the pandemic hit, I could no longer afford to pay the thousands of dollars a year it now takes me to keep this site up and running with all the data it contains. The alternate option was putting all the information behind a pay wall, but then the roughly 1000 articles I’ve written for this site would cease to be wild and free like the ingredients I discuss here. The ads basically just cover the cost of maintenance here, and while it wasn’t my first choice, it keeps all the info free. Millions of readers come here every year, and maybe .001% leave sniveling comments. I’d get used to it if I was you.

      Reply
      • Heather

        November 7, 2021 at 10:59 pm

        thanks for your information and the time you take to spread your wild food gospel … I love it and the ads aren’t bad at all – they aren’t intrusive. I just collected some nursturtia buds and seeds …. the day lilies and dandelions are next …. and societal garlic flowers or seeds… dandelions flower patties/ fritters are brilliant and likened to mushrooms.

        Reply
  6. Ben

    April 9, 2022 at 1:45 pm

    I’m trying this recipe with big leaf maple blossoms and a 4% brine. I’m also making a vinegar salt version and a vinegar sugar version to see which turns out best.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Puffball Parisienne Gnocchi says:
    January 15, 2014 at 7:47 am

    […] added to change the color, check out the green speckled version I made with ramp leaves last spring here. Since the dough gets whipped with eggs after is it mixed, and the eggs are the bulk of what make […]

    Reply
  2. Trout With Spring Vegetables: Winter Shades Of Green says:
    January 21, 2014 at 9:59 am

    […] A few wild capers, like dandelions (recipe here) […]

    Reply
  3. Milkweed shoots, a la milanese Forager | Chef says:
    June 17, 2014 at 9:27 am

    […] The milkweed and duck egg would be o.k. by themselves, but a little acidity will really make things pop. Chive blossoms are in season, and they make excellent vinaigrettes, as well as being pretty on the plate. The chive flower vinaigrette recipe here is fine all by itself on a salad or a piece of fish, and a fun variation I like is to put honey in it to make a sweet dressing like you would with poppy seeds, which has a nice sweet-savory flavor. While we’re on the topic too, the unopened buds of chives make great onion-y tasting capers, see a basic recipe for that here. […]

    Reply
  4. Magic in the woods- A collaborative cooking and foraging project with Chris Bohnhoff Photography and Alan Bergo says:
    August 3, 2014 at 9:25 am

    […] 1/4 cup dandelion capers (optional-recipe here) […]

    Reply
  5. A recipe for making capers from wild milkweed buds says:
    November 18, 2014 at 1:23 pm

    […] wrote another recipe last year for capers made from dandelion buds, and you might be wondering what the difference is here. It isn’t hugely different, but these […]

    Reply
  6. Dandelion and Lemon Paleo Cupcakes | Forest and Fauna says:
    April 6, 2016 at 7:11 pm

    […] You can also use the new un-opened dandelion buds in this recipe for wild capers. […]

    Reply
  7. The great chive caper caper – A Tiny Food Forest says:
    June 4, 2017 at 12:35 pm

    […] https://foragerchef.com/how-to-make-wild-capers/ The instructions were precise without being exhausting and left room to experiment, which I love.  […]

    Reply
  8. 16 common edible weeds growing in your yard... with recipes! - Tyrant Farms says:
    April 24, 2019 at 9:35 am

    […] Dandelion bud capers (we’re dying to making this) […]

    Reply
  9. Dandelion Capers with Ramps and Lemon says:
    December 17, 2019 at 8:29 am

    […] is a variation on my original wild caper recipe, which at the end of the day is just simple pickle (the original is lacto-fermented). You can flavor the seasonings any way you like, but make sure to let them age […]

    Reply
  10. Caper | Pantsville Press says:
    June 4, 2020 at 4:25 am

    […] doing something between this and this.  I’m quite aware it could all go horribly wrong.  But I have a long history of […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

2022 James Beard Nominee

beard award

Subscribe (It’s free)

ORDER THE BOOK

UPDATED OPTIONS FOR CA / EU / US the forager chefs book of flora by Chef Alan Bergo

Forager Chef

Forager Chef

Footer

Instagram

foragerchef

FORAGER | CHEF®
🍄🌱🍖
Author: The Forager Chef’s Book of Flora
2022 James Beard Nominee
Host: Field Forest Feast 👇
streaming on @tastemade

Alan Bergo
Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Oeufs de Gaulle is a classic morel recipe Jacques Pepin used to make for French president Charles de Gaulle. 

You bake eggs in a ramekin with shrimp topped with creamy morel sauce and eat with toast points. 

Makes for a really special brunch or breakfast. Recipe’s on my site, but it’s even better to watch Jacques make it on you tube. 

#jacquespepin #morels #shrimp #morilles #brunchtime
Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each Morels: the only wild mushroom I count by the each instead of the pound. 

Good day today, although my Twin Cities spots seem a full two weeks behind from the late spring. 2 hours south they were almost all mature. 

76 for me and 152 for the group. Check your spots, and good luck! 

#morels #murkels #mollymoochers #drylandfish #spongemushroom #theprecious
The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natu The first time I’ve seen fungal guttation-a natural secretion of water I typically see with plants. 

I understand it as an indicator that the mushrooms are growing rapidly, and a byproduct of their metabolism speeding up. If you have some clarifications, chime in. 

Most people know it from Hydnellum 
peckii-another polypore. I’ve never seen it on pheasant backs before.

Morels are coming soon too. Mine were 1 inch tall yesterday in the Twin Cities. 

#guttation #mushroomhunting #cerioporussquamosus #pheasantback #naturesbeauty
Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a Rain and heat turned the flood plain forest into a grocery store. 

#groceryshopping #sochan #rudbeckialaciniata #foraging
Italian wild food traditions are some of my favori Italian wild food traditions are some of my favorite. 

Case in point: preboggion, a mixture of wild plants, that, depending on the reference, should be made with 5-23 individual plants. 

Here’s a few mixtures I’ve made this spring, along with a reference from the Oxford companion to Italian food. 

The mixture should include some bitter greens (typically assorted asters) but the most important plant is probably borage. 

Making your own version is a good excercise. Here they’re wilted with garlic and oil, but there’s a bunch of traditional recipes the mixture is used in. 

Can you believe this got cut from my book?!

#preboggion #preboggiun #foraging #traditionalfoods
Oh the things I get in the mail. This is my kind Oh the things I get in the mail. 

This is my kind of tip though: a handmade buckskin bag with a note and a handful of bleached snapping turtle claws. 😁😂 

Sent in by Leslie, a reader. 

Smells like woodsmoke and the cat quickly claimed it as her new bed. 

#buckskin #mailsurprise #turtleclaws #thisimylife #cathouse
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Privacy

  • Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

 I may earn a small commission for my endorsement, recommendation, testimonial, and/or link to any products or services from this website. Your purchases help keep this website free and help with the many costs involved with this site as it has continued to grow over the years. 

Copyright © 2022 ·