Off on a caper

The native caper or bush passionfruit Capparis nummularia var. spinosa

(photo Steven Pearce)

I have wondered where the word caper comes from - the advernture type caper - that is. When you see where capers grow in their native habitat, you wonder if it is to do with the rugged terrain in which they grow. In italy is was not uncommon to find the capers growing out of vertical walls!

I went on my own little caper to the telegraph station yesterday and collected some capers which are currently flowering and fruiting like mad - this is all despite only having had 70 mm of rain this year (only 10 of that was recent). The plants are always covered in ants which must get some return for guarding the plants - maybe they get to eat the fruit? The fruit once ripe are fairly tasteless and full of seeds - hence the native passionfruit tag.

After fighting with the ants for a while i gathered a pocket -full and put them into a jar layered with salt. i tried this method before and it seemed to work alright as far as i can remember although i don't remember how long it took befire they were edible .