Making it Easy for Yourself

Here are a couple of recipes, which although called 'mock', in their own way, are just a variation of the 'real' thing:

Mock Capers:
nasturtium seeds (the knobbly seedheads)
salt
water
pickling vinegar
Pick the seeds on a dry day and give them a wash, check there are no insects (blackflies adore nasturtiums). Weigh the seeds and put into a large bowl. Make up a brine solution (2 oz/50g) salt dissolved in one pint (600ml) water for each 1lb (500g) seeds. Pour this brine over the seeds and leave to stand for 24 hours.
Drain and rinse the seeds then pack into small jars leaving a half-inch (1 cm) space at the top so they will be covered by the vinegar. Pour in the cold vinegar and seal with airtight, vinegar proof lids.

Mock Olives:
Too late for this season, as you need plums before the stones have properly formed (test by pricking with a needle), but one recipe worth keeping for next year.
small young green plums
salt
water
pickling vinegar
Make the brine as in above recipe, again amounts for each pound of fruit. Put the fruit into a bowl and pour over the brine, leaving it to stand for 3 days. Then drain and dry well using kitchen paper. Pack into clean jars, cover with the cold vinegar and seal in the usual way.