Capers are a staple of our culinary tradition. “Classic” capers are nothing more than the flower buds of the plant of the same name. But did you know that dandelions also produce edible shoots?
Harvested when they are still very small, dandelion shoots can be stored and eaten in the same way as capers. We explain how to do it below.
The first thing you need to do is find very small dandelion sprouts . Do not pick the unopened flowers at the top of the plant, but rather the closed buds that are closer to the ground.
Dandelions produce not just one flower, but several throughout the season. Even if you harvest all those secondary buds, the plant will still produce flowers.
Now that you have the dandelion buds , it’s time to pickle them with vinegar and salt. This method will allow us to preserve them for a long time.
You need: 150 grams of dandelion sprouts, 150 ml of vinegar, 80 ml of water, 1 tablespoon of salt.
Bring the water, vinegar and salt to a boil, stirring well to dissolve. Put the capers in glass jars and pour the brine over them.
Close and store in the refrigerator. Alternatively, process the jars in a water bath for 10 minutes. This last method will allow us to keep the jars out of the refrigerator.