What Are Capers? Can You Grow Them?

When we refer to Capers, we are talking about the eating kind, NOT a caper in a mystery novel. They got their name from this incredible, edible, small, and hard to develop little spices because they were just that, hard to difficult to solve, spicy, little stories.

As far back as 2000 BC caper bushes were used by the Sumerian's for medicine, as well as the Greeks ands Romans. They say it helped keep down flatulence, are good for other things such as arthritis, anemia, gout and can be use as a diuretic, improve liver functions and help disinfect the kidneys. However, I would not swear to any of this I just know they are great in cooking.

The Caper has a strong taste sort of like a peppery type of mustard if they are smashed. You can use them in salads, meat, pastas or sauces and they add a nice smell in whatever their use.

Now the question is can you grow them? Yes you can grow them from seeds, but they are not easy to grow and take some special care. If you want to try this you can order a package of seeds for $4.00 for a package of 25 seeds under the name Capparis Spinosa at

http://www.sandmountainherbs.com/caper_bush.html

These plants make unusual ornamental bushes that can be used for ground cover or on an espalier. The caper bush also grows well along the sea shore as it is salt tolerant. If you want too use them for ornamentals it is best to cut the branches back the first year without giving up the flower and still have a healthier plant and make it bushier.
Now if you want to make capers from a Caper Bus, what do you have to do? You have to realize that each of the flowers last for only half a day and you must work quickly or you will get no capers. In May to September buds will appear in joints of leaves, you need to gather these for pickling or they will open into pretty white papery flowers.

You must pick the buds early in the morning before they dry out. You have to wash these buds repeatedly in salty water to get all the sand or dirt out of them. After you dry them out you then drop them in partly filled jars of vinegar. There you let them sit and steep at least two weeks in the refrigerator before adding salt to taste. The other method for fixing them would be to salt them down overnight and then add the vinegar.

Either way they take time and patience and that is why they cost so much for such a small jar.