Give it up for nasturtium: These low-lying, fast-growing, jewel-toned flowering vines have it all. They self-seed like crazy and come back year after year without you having to do a thing. They can climb, they can hang, they can form a mound. Nasturtiums will fill a space. Their signature red, orange and yellow flowers brighten up your garden, and there are also new varieties in black and dark raspberry.
August JAMboree: Too Much Jam? Never! Recipes with Jam
But their real appeal lies in their usefulness: Nasturtiums should fill your garden to act as a trap for aphids. Aphids are attracted to the nasturtium and leave other plants alone. You leave the nasturtiums alone and let the aphids be happy. If that were all these little garden cheerleaders did, that would be enough. But as luck would have it, almost all parts of the nasturtium flower are edible.
I love capers: they add the perfect punch to any rice dish, salads, and many stews or sautes. Nasturtium capers are a special treat. Many recipes on the internet recommend picking the young seeds, which grow externally on the vine, are easy to pick, and are ribbed and light green. However, I have found that I prefer to skip the seeds and use the buds. Once pickled, they feel much more like real capers.
¼ cup white wine vinegar
