Garlic scapes are only available for a brief time in early summer, making them a sought-after delicacy among farm-to-table cooks.
What Is A Garlic Scape?
Garlic scapes are the edible stem and flower head that grows on hardneck garlic varieties. They have a milder flavor than garlic, and their tender shoots make them a delicacy for various recipes. You will be able to recognize the scape because it is a round, tube that grows from the very center of the garlic plant. It will grow straight up, then begin to curl as the flower head forms on the end of it.
Why Is It Important to Cut Garlic Scapes?
It’s important to clip the scapes from your garlic so that the plant will focus its energy on bulb production rather than flower production. By clipping the scapes, you help your plant to grow larger cloves and bulbs.
When and How to Harvest Garlic Scapes
You want to harvest your scapes when they begin to curl. This ensures that they are tender. Take it from me, I’ve waited too long before and ended up with stringy, wooden scapes that were not a delicacy.
When you have identified your scapes and see that it is beginning to curl, clip it at the base just where it emerges from the leaves. This allows you to cut away the scape, while not leaving the plant vulnerable to bulb rot from water gathering in a cavity from cutting too deeply.
What to Do With Garlic Scapes
I’ve mentioned that garlic scapes are a delicacy, but how exactly do you use them? The possibilities are endless! I personally love using them to make compound butter. I then use this when cooking steaks and it adds such a delicious garlic flavor. It’s also delish when sauteeing veggies. Another great way to use garlic scapes it to use them in place of basil when making homemade pesto.
Luckily, scapes store very well, so I can still clip them even if I’m not quite ready to use them yet. I keep them fresh by putting their ends in a glass of water and storing them in my fridge. You can also chop them into small pieces and freeze them to use in soups, stir-fries, and various dishes. I’ve also chopped them, placed them in ice cube trays, topped them off with olive oil, and frozen them. Then I just pull them out when I am ready and they make a great base for sauteeing, dressings, or pasta sauces.
You can also add a few stalks to your favorite pickle recipe for a delicious hint of garlic.
Watch the Video Tutorial Here
More Info On How to Grow Garlic
If this post has sparked your green thumb and you’d like to try your hand at growing garlic to harvest your own scapes, check out my post all about how to grow garlic!
My Best Resource for All Things Garlic
When I set out to learn about growing my own garlic a few years ago, I took a deep dive into researching the best place to order high-quality bulbs. Keene Organics is by far the best I’ve found. They sell top quality, heirloom garlic in all varieties. I tried a few other companies before I found them, but after the results I’ve seen, I’ll be sticking with them from now on. They also sell garlic scapes, and have an incredible blog with an endless library of educational posts all about garlic.
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