Nasturtium

Capucine

What it is

Linnaeus named the genus Tropaeolum after the Roman trophy pole hung with a captured shield and helmet: the round leaf is the shield, the spurred flower the helmet. Its green seed pods, pickled, were Europe's garden substitute for capers long before anyone thought to put the flowers on a plate.

In the kitchen

Pick the pods green and firm and brine them for a week for something very close to a caper. Leaf heat tracks the plant's thirst — a nasturtium in dry soil is markedly hotter than the same plant watered.

Goes with

Olive oil Goat cheese Cucumber Lemon Radish White wine vinegar Egg Butter

Same species

Mashua Nasturtium capers

In season alongside

Water pepper (tade / benitade) Black radish Holy basil Mustard greens Radish Thai basil

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