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In late June, your garlic plants start pointing proudly toward the sky when suddenly, a strange, curly stem makes its appearance right in the middle of the foliage. Don't panic! These are tasty garlic scapes that can’t wait to be harvested.
Long ignored and tossed into the compost pile,garlic scapes are actually delicious vegetables. Here is everything you need to know about garlic scapes including how to harvest them, how to cook them, and how to store them.e.
Garlic scapes are called “fleur d’ail” in French but these are not truly flowers. In fact they are the unopened flower bud of the garlic plant. They appear on hardneck garlic likes (like Music or Quebec Rocambole.)
If you don’t pick the scapes, they will open and produce little bulbils. These are not seeds but little clones of the parent bulb. You can replant these if you want but they will take 3-4 years to get to full size.
If you let the stem grow, the plant will pour all its energy into producing bulbils rather than sizing up the bulb underground. By cutting it, you force the plant to redirect its resources downward and grow bigger bulbs
The secret to a great harvest lies in the timing. Scapes starts out growing straight up, and then they suddenly loop around to form one or two complete circles.
The Right Time: Harvest scapes when they’ve done one and a half to two loops, while they are still tender and flexible. If you wait too long and the stem straightens out again, they will become woody and tough.
The Technique: Snap the stem with your fingers to break them off the plant. Don’t pull!
Best Time of Day: Choose a beautiful, sunny morning so that the plant’s "wound" heals quickly.
If you’ve never tasted a garlic scape, imagine the perfect cross between a green onion and a garlic clove: a fresh, crisp, green flavor without too much of a bit. They can be enjoyed both raw and cooked.
Raw, garlic scapes the perfect ingredient to wake up your meals:
Garlic Scape Pesto: Simply replace basil in your favorite recipe with finely chopped garlic scapes using a food processor. Add olive oil, pine nuts (or sunflower seeds), a little Parmesan cheese, and a pinch of salt.
In Salads and Dressings: Mince them as finely as chives. Sprinkle them over a homegrown tomato salad or whisk them into a Dijon mustard and honey vinaigrette.
As a Garnish: Toss a handful onto your omelets or over a homemade pizza right before serving.
Lactofermentation (Pickles): Cut your garlic scapes into pieces, submerge them in a brine (water + salt), and let them ferment for two weeks. You'll get crunchy pickles that are perfect for a cheese platter.
When cooked, garlic scapes lose their sharp bite and become mild, tender, and almost sweet.
On the BBQ: Toss the whole scape with olive oil and coarse salt. Throw them on the grill for a few minutes over direct heat, exactly like asparagus.
Steamed: A quick 3 to 4-minute steam keeps their beautiful green color intact while giving them a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
If your harvest is abundant, making green garlic powder is an excellent gourmet pantry project.
Chop your garlic scapes into small pieces.
Place them in a dehydrator (or in the oven at the lowest possible temperature with the door slightly ajar).
Once they are dry and snap like glass, grind them up in a coffee grinder or blender.
You will get an ultra-fragrant,pale green garlic powder that keeps for about two years.
Garlic scape season goes by fast, but luckily, this is one of the longest-lasting veggies from the garden.
Fresh garlic scapes are incredibly resilient. Wrap your scapes in a damp paper towel, place them in a perforated plastic bag, and slide them into the crisper drawer. They will stay perfectly fresh for3 to 4 weeks.
This is the ultimate way to extend the enjoyment right into winter:
Chopped version: Pulse the garlic scapes in a food processor with a little neutral oil to form a paste. Spoon this purée into ice cube trays. Once frozen, transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. You can just drop a cube right into your skillets this winter!
Whole version: Freeze the scapes whole in a vacuum-sealed bag. They will lose their crunch upon thawing, but they will be perfect for cooking or blending into soups.
Ready for the Harvest? Garlic scapes are much more than a strange vegetable that you don't know what to do with. They are a summer treat that will hold you over until your full garlic harvest in a month or so.
Happy gardening and bon appétit!
🌼Sophie
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