Pickled Nasturtium Seeds Recipe:

I recently had the chance to try pickled nasturtium seeds (aka: the poor man’s caper) and absolutely loved them! Keep on reading if you want to learn how to turn these interesting seeds into a delicious pickled snack!

Nasturtiums are awesome! The entire plant is edible, they fill the garden with beautiful, vibrant colours and hummingbirds and bees love them! All you need to get started is one package of seeds and then you’re set for life. As the flowers die off they will form a seed that you can collect for planting the following year(s) or you can pickle them. Click here to buy Nasturtium Seeds to plant in your garden.

Ingredients:

• Nasturtium Seeds
• 1 Tbsp Himalayan or sea salt
• Approx 1 Cup Apple Cider vinegar
• 1 Tsp Organic cane sugar
• Herbs such as Bay leaves and Thyme (This is optional)

Pick and prepare your seeds:

First you’ll need to pick enough seeds to fill a mason jar, plus a few more. You’ll want a few more because before pickling your seeds you will be soaking them in a salt water brine which, besides removing anti-nutrients and mellowing their peppery flavour, will reduce the water content of the seeds allowing you to pack more seeds in the jar after soaking.

* For the best results you’ll want to pick your seeds when they are green, plump and don’t fall off the stem easily. If they have started to turn brown, fall off the plant easily, or have already fallen off the plant on their own, those seeds are best saved for planting next year. 

Next wash your nasturtium seeds. I put them in a bowl and wash them in water to remove any dirt and debris from the garden, then strain the dirty water/rinse again. 

Create the brine for soaking:

Fill up a bowl with enough cold filtered water to cover the seeds and add 1 Tablespoon of Salt (I’m using Himalayan salt) and stir to dissolve the salt. Add the nasturtium seeds into the salt water, give it a stir, cover your bowl with a lid and set it aside for 12 hours.

After 12 hours you’ll drain off the water (WARNING: your seeds may have a pungent sulphur smell at this point. This is natural and nothing to worry about). Rinse the seeds again with fresh water and add the seeds into fresh salt water again. Set aside for another 12 hours. Rinse and repeat for a total of 48 hours.

Prepare Vinegar and pack into jar:

Time to pickle! On your stovetop,  heat around 1 cup of apple cider vinegar and add 1 tsp of organic sugar and mix to dissolve sugar. Set aside.

Rinse/drain your seeds again and pack them into a jar with one or two bay leaves (or herbs of your choice, if using herbs).

Pour the vinegar over the seeds, topping off the jar with more ACV if needed. All seeds must be covered with your vinegar solution. Put the lid on the jar, making sure it’s nice and tight and store it in your refrigerator. You’ll want to wait two weeks before tasting them. The longer the better.

Once the pickled nasturtium seeds are ready you can use them in your favourite dishes. I’ve been enjoying them in my salads and I love eating them straight out of the jar as a snack. Enjoy! xoxo

Helpful tips:

* You can use any size mason jar you want however I recommend 500ml (16 oz) or less.

* Once you’ve opened the jar, the pickled nasturtium seeds should stay good for around 6 months if stored properly in the fridge.

WATCH RECIPE VIDEO HERE: