Pickled Wild Garlic Bud Capers
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This is one of our favourite things to do with wild garlic. Deliciously tangy, this take on capers adds a zing to salads, pasta dishes and any other recipe you choose to add them! Recipe originally from Almost Off Grid.
The buds are the pre-bloomed wild garlic flowers, they tend to show up a few weeks after the leaves. Keep an eye on your patch to catch them before they bloom. Be sure to not pick them all - leave some buds behind to bloom and reseed!
You’ll need a saucepan, sieve, parchment paper and a sterilised jar - this recipe is enough to fill a regular sized jam jar.
Ingredients (when in italics available from the van)
100g wild garlic buds
150g apple cider vinegar (approx 75p)
50ml water
1 pinch sea salt
2 dried bay leaves
1 teaspoon peppercorns (approx 9p)
1 teaspoon ground ginger (approx 9p)
1/2 teaspoon coriander seeds (approx 5p)
(or alternatively 2 teaspoons of our pickling spice mix)
Total cost from Incredible Bulk approx 98p
Method
Trim any stalks from your buds and place in a sieve and gently wash them under cold tap. Put sieve over pan or bowl to let as much water drain from them as possible.
Place vinegar, water, salt and spices into saucepan and heat to boiling. Once boiling take off heat.
Pack your buds tightly into your sterilised jar and pour over your vinegar mix. You want to make sure all your buds are fully covered by the vinegar - gently press down on them with a spoon to get rid of any air pockets and then we use a scrunched up piece of parchment paper on top to keep the buds submerged before placing the lid on top.
Put in an ambient place and leave for 2-4 weeks. They are then ready to use. Once opened store in the fridge and they’ll be good for around 6 months!
Zero Waste Tips
Reuse an old jam jar for your pickled buds - you can sterilise by cleaning as normal and then placing in the oven at 100 C to dry.
Shop for spices and vinegar at your local refill shop to avoid packaging