Caper bud pickle

This summer (just past) was a glorious season for capers.
Huge crops is SA and Unley.
You can pickle all parts of the caper bush; the leaves, the stalks, the caper buds and the caper berries. The best part is the caper bud.
Home pickled buds are superb compared with the commercial muck.
more about capers

Here's a recipe.

• Pick a heap of caper buds; nice and firm.
• Sort through them and remove the stems.
• Rinse in a colander and then place on a tea towel and pat dry.
• Place the capers in a jar and layer with fine sea salt. Tip: place some salt in the base of the jar before you add capers.
• Use small to medium sized jars rather than a large one.
• Cover the jar(s) with its lid and shake to ensure even distribution of the salt.
• Remove the lid and cover the jar with a single layer of a paper napkin or tight netting (an old stocking or a piece of muslin) and keep in place with a rubber band.
• Leave it in a place where it will get some airflow, but not in direct sunlight – a breezy kitchen counter top is ideal.
• Each day, drain off any liquid that forms and add another spoonful of salt; and shake.
• After about a week, or when the capers stop giving off liquid, transfer to a clean jar or storage container and cover with a lid.
• The capers can be kept on a shelf for up to one year; keep out of direct sunlight.

After a year, I still have some that I kept in the fridge; and they are still looking good.

Yum!