Picking caper buds

Morning harvest along Anello della Rupe

The circular path called "Anello della Rupe" (ring path) that wraps around the cliff of Orvieto is my daily morning walking and trekking route. In late May, the branches of the capers that grow in various places along the cliff wall begin to produce numerous tiny buds, and along with bright beautiful red poppies, they decorate the steep limestone walls called "tufa".

Capers are early risers. As soon as they feel the early morning sun, buds start to open one after another. The capers’ flowers are beautiful, with thin purple stamens spreading out from the pure white petals like fireworks. However, as often happens to nature’s beauty, capers are one-day flowers that wither and die within a day.

Capers are often used in Italian cooking and are readily available at supermarkets in various forms. But this is where the slow food movement that thrives on local and organic produce comes into play! With this in mind, I go for an early morning walk/run with a paper bag in my pocket. It is rather merciless to pick the buds before flowering, but they must be small and firm for pickling/salting, so I carefully pick only the tiny buds and let others bloom.

The collected buds are immediately placed in plenty of water and replaced with fresh water routinely for about three days. Capers have a strong, distinctive odor, and this step cannot be neglected to produce a good result. The photo below shows the capers after it has been soaked in the water for a few days and dried on a paper towel. This time, I have pickled the buds in brine but another way is to pickle them in salt. When I buy capers, I usually select salted capers because they have a firmer texture and a stronger aroma than ones pickled in brine.

Baccalà Napolitana is a delicious Italian dish in which sour capers enhance the flavor of the dish. It is indispensable in the tomato-based sauce served over light-textured cod. Please stay tuned for the recipe of Baccalà Napolitana in the Recipe section.