Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are the "flower stalks" of hardneck garlic plants, although they do not produce flowers. These stalks start to appear a month or so after the first leaves. They are usually cut off of the plant, since leaving them on only diverts the plants strength away from forming a plump bulb. If left on, they eventually form small bulbils that can be planted to grow more garlic, but it takes 2–3 years for them to form large bulbs. Garlic scapes are both edible and delicious!

You can use garlic scapes in just about any way you use garlic. Chop it and use it in place of clove garlic (you may need a bit more as garlic scapes are milder than garlic cloves). Use it in stir fries, stews, salad dressings, soups - anywhere you want that wonderful garlic flavor!

BONUS: You can easily freeze garlic scapes - for use far long into the winter. Some folks like to chop and then blanche the scapes for about 2 minutes before packing them away in freezer bags. Others like to simply chop and freeze in bags without blanching. Since scapes are so plentiful and inexpensive, why not buy enough to see which methods works best for you!

Garlic Scape Pesto 

Pesto: put in a food processor the following (approx.): 5 garlic scapes, 2 loose cups of foraged wild sorrel leaves (often found as a weed in the garden or wood's edge), 2 Tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 cup EV olive oil, S & P. Process until mixed but still a bit chunky. Add 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesean and mix. Ta da! Great for freezing as well as using fresh on bread, pasta, chicken, or fish (I adapted this from "Cooking Close to Home", Imrie & Jarmusz, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2009).

New Share Members Hugh and Bud have turned us on to a garlic scape pesto made with almonds! YUM! Check out this link and enjoy the results!!!