All About Garlic Scapes
Seasonality: June and July
Nutrition Highlights: Garlic scapes provide fiber, antioxidants and many vitamins, including Vitamin A, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin C.
Preservation: Garlic scapes keep well in the refrigerator in a paper bag for up to a month. They can also be frozen, blanched or raw.
07/03/2020
As we anxiously await a flavorful garlic harvest later this summer, garlic scapes can tide over our garlicky cravings while helping minimize food waste. “Scapes” are the above-ground flowering stalks of the garlic plant, which farmers often harvest and sell for weeks ahead of true garlic season. The scapes resemble green onions and take on a somewhat milder garlic flavor than the cloves, but can be used in just about any dish calling for garlic.
You’ll likely not find garlic scapes at the store, but farmers and gardeners often have more than they know what to do with. Try some yourself through our Online Farmers Market!
Garlic Scape Serving Suggestion
Garlic scapes can be chopped, ground or blended into pretty much any recipe calling for garlic (though you may want to use more scapes than you would cloves; the scapes lose more flavor through cooking than a clove would).
Scapes can also be enjoyed as a vegetable in their own right, chopped into stir fries and salads or even grilled whole.
Garlic scape pesto is one favorite way to use scapes raw, which preserves their flavor. Substitute all or part of the basil in your favorite pesto recipe with garlic scapes. Add olive oil, parmesan cheese and pinenuts, walnuts or sunflower seeds (if desired) and pulse in a food processor or blender until you reach your desired consistency.
The pesto can be used as a pasta sauce, a dip, a toast topping or in any other manner that sounds good to you. Consider freezing your pesto in an ice cube tray or in small containers to preserve single portions for later.