Dandelion Capers

I just had to try these, I love using capers in cooking, especially with fresh fish and Sicilian style salads, so when I found a recipe to make capers out of these dandelion buds, I had to try it.

As you can see, the dandelion buds that I've picked (in a hurry, I always seem to be in a hurry) aren't all completely closed. For best results, use sealed buds otherwise the texture is a little weird and floury, but you can still use them.

Pick the buds and remove the frill and any remaining stem from them until they look like they do in the image above. Place them into a jar. 

For the pickle I used a 1:1 malt vinegar (for cheapness, but cider or white wine vinegar works best) to water and 2 tablespoons of salt which if I made again I would alter it slightly to 3 tablespoons of salt. It's the saltiness that makes capers good, right?

I brought the vinegar, salt and water mix to the boil, ensuring the salt was dissolved and poured it over the buds, then sealed the jar. 

These are great in salads, but they can be used as you would regular capers.