Capers are a beloved ingredient in Mediterranean cuisine, and they can be grown in your garden as well! With proper care and attention, you can enjoy fresh capers right from your own backyard. Here is a step-by-step guide to growing capers at home.
How to Grow The Caper of Commerce
The Caper of Commerce is a shrub that grows from 3 to 4 feet high, of which the flower buds are gathered and used for making sauce and flavoring soups and stews. Capers have a sharp piquant flavor and add pungency, a peculiar aroma and saltiness to pasta sauces, pizza, fish, meats and salads. The flavor of caper may be described as being similar to that of mustard and black pepper.
The plant is easily grown in warm districts, and does particularly well in a climate where Olive trees can be grown.
The caper is extremely versatile with multiple edible parts, The Caper of Commerce is in fact the immature flower bud picked before it opens into flower. Buds that are left to flower then ripen into Caperberries which can be pickled for use in condiments if picked before they ripen and burst open.
Pick the Right Spot
Capers need full sunlight for most of the day and prefer soil with good drainage. They will do best in a slightly raised bed or container that doesn’t get too wet.
Growing capers from seed
The plants are raised from seed or propagated from cuttings. Sow the seed a seed box kept in a warm place or in a hot bed, and when the seedlings are large enough, harden off thoroughly and plant out into their permanent position, allowing at least 3 feet between each plant.
The Caper requires dry stony ground and does well on embankments and similar places which could not otherwise be utilized. The roots are particularly strong and vigorous, and if they can get deep enough even amongst rocks and stones, will continue to grow for several years. The flower buds, which should be gathered when about the size of peas, form the Caper of Commerce. The plants should be cut back every three or four years.
Harvesting & Processing Capers
When harvesting caper buds or berries (the part used in cooking), wait until they have reached maturity but before they turn brown and open up – when the buds have swollen but not yet opened. Rinse them off and soak them overnight in brine made from salt and water (3 tablespoons of salt per 2 cups of water). The next day, rinse them again before packing them tightly into jars filled with vinegar and spices such as garlic cloves, bay leaves, oregano, and peppercorns for flavor. Store these jars away from direct sunlight for at least two weeks before using them in recipes.
See now how straight forward it is grow tasty capers right at home! All it takes is some sun, soil with good drainage, patience—and maybe some vinegar and spices!
