by Emma Stark
All my life I have watched people making and doing things and I have learned so much from them. I love watching people with skills at work, my only sadness is there simply isn’t the time in one life to learn them all!
We used to learn from our parents, grandparents and elders almost imperceptibly, as if we were absorbing knowledge from the ether. In my lifetime I have witnessed this natural skill sharing fall prey to “monetization”, learning has become increasingly expensive and those that know things can no longer afford to generously share what they know how to do.
SkillShare is a rebellion against that trend, and for a couple of years now, we have had a vision of happy people gathered in the BirdHouse garden making and doing, teaching and learning from each other. There is laughter and companionship, help and achievement, kindness and joy, and above all a great and pervasive generosity in this vision and I am honored to have this opportunity to help implement it.
Nasturtium Pickles
The flowers, leaves, and seeds of the nasturtium are all edible and provide a peppery little kick when added to salads, especially the seeds. When pickled, they mellow and develop a flavor very close to capers, excellent in salads, cocktails and sauces, or anywhere you would use capers.
The generous nasturtium will provide seeds from spring through summer here in Los Angeles, the dry summer heat will eventually finish them off, but the season is long.
Pick seeds that are bright green and still growing, avoid large, lighter colored ones as they become fibrous, tough and flavorless with age. You’ll find them under the leaf canopy of the plant, if you gently lift it up, you will find seeds.
You’ll need about 3 1/2 ounces of qualified seeds to fill two 4 ounce jars (with vinegar proof lids) and a nice white wine or champagne vinegar, flavor being important here. In addition, some of your favorite herb, dill, tarragon, bay leaf for example, and some whole peppercorns.
Pick, sort, clean and wash the seeds. Discard any large or pale ones, they aren’t worth it, I promise.
Dissolve 2 1/2 tsp. Kosher salt in 1 1/2 cups of cool water and soak the nasturtium seeds in this brine for 24 hours.
First, wash and sterilize your jars and lids. Boil jars for 10 mins or bake in a 225 F oven for 20 mins. The lids can be sterilized by boiling in a pan of water for 30 seconds and left there until needed.
Drain and pat dry the seeds and force yourself to let those bigger pale ones go. I know how hard it is.
In the cooled, sterilized jars, place a few sprigs of your choice of herb and a few peppercorns. Fill the jars with the seeds to about 3/8 inch from the rim. Add vinegar to about 1/4 inch from the rim and place the lid.
Set the jars in a cool dark cupboard for about 6 weeks; they should be ready by then, and eat them within a year.
There are many things you can do with your pickles. Here is a recipe for tartar sauce to get you started. Great with fish, freshly cooked baby beets, young fava beans and green salads.
Mix together:
1 Tbsp chopped nasturtium capers
Scant 1/2 C mayonnaise
2-3 finely chopped spring onions
1 heaping Tbsp finely chopped parsley
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper
