Pickles and preserves
This pickle is made from the tender tips and young leaves of the caper bush (Capparis spinosa), gathered in spring and early summer. After soaking to remove their bitterness, the shoots are packed in a vinegar brine. Compared with pickled caper buds, the shoots are softer, mildly bitter, and lemony. A small handful is enough alongside appetizers, fish, or potato salad.
Select only the tender 10–15 cm shoot tips that snap easily by hand, along with their attached young leaves. Do not use hardened stems or older leaves. Watch for the small hooked thorns at the base of the leaves, and wear gloves.
Rinse the shoots and soak them in cold water in a wide bowl. For 3 days, change the water in the morning and evening; each change takes a few minutes, for about 12 minutes of active time in total. At the end of the third day, taste a leaf: the sharp bitterness should be gone, leaving only a mild astringency.
Boil the shoots for 2 minutes, then drain them; their color will turn olive green.
Bring the vinegar, water, and salt to a boil, then remove from the heat. Keep the brine at a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water; do not add more water.
Sterilize the jars in boiling water for 10 minutes. Pack the shoots into the jars with the garlic and coriander seeds. Pour in the hot brine until it covers the shoots by 1 cm, leaving 1 cm of headspace. Wipe the rims clean and close the jars. Once cool, refrigerate.
Soak the shoots in cold water for 3 days before pickling, changing the water twice daily. Let the pickles rest in the jar for 1 week before eating; these waiting times are not included in the recipe time. Store refrigerated for up to 3 months. Do not gather caper shoots beside roads or in fields treated with pesticides.
Kapari filizinin acısını almak için suyunu iki gün değiştirdim, üçüncü günde tadı oturdu. Aceleyle kavanozlarsanız turşu acı kalıyor, bu bekleme kısaltılmıyor.
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