Contrary to popular belief, capers are not the fruit of the plant, but the buds of the inflorescence that form a magnificent flower when they open. Every year, from mid-May to mid-August, the unopened buds are picked one by one and sorted according to their size. Then sea salt is added and they are stirred every day to encourage fermentation, which gives the right ripeness and a particularly intense flavour to these tasty, hard, green buds.