It's Garlic Scape Time Again!

Goooood Golly! Did I get that date right. How is it June 24th? We are on the downward slide towards Autumn already, and I am still catching up on Spring work... from about 2015, I reckon.

Still, although we have passed the fabled and magical time of "June Grass" we now are into... wait for it... ok don't wait, it's garlic scape season., and it really doesn't last very long. For a magical week or three I get to cut and gorge on garlic scapes. Though they are not really familiar to most of us, I suspect that has a lot to do with their short season.

They are kind of a secondary crop when you grow garlic in colder climates. Hardneck garlics grow better here than the softneck varieties (Those are the ones that you braided all fancy and stuff). Hardnecks begin to flower by sending up a curlicue stem with a tiny bulbule at the top. It will eventually flower and make "seed", but at the expense of the bulbs below. I have some in my orchard that I have let go wild and replant itself for years, and I figure eventually I will get garlic that is naturalized to my tiny place in the world, and if I live long enough, I can set about improving the size and flavor. In the meantime, there are plenty of named varieties to choose from, some of which were developed in just that manner. So, If you want larger bulbs, you need to cut the scapes. But what to do with these strange looking curly things?

I am glad you asked! I usually just saute them in some olive oil and add salt and maybe some parm. I sometimes add a bit of minced garlic, because the scapes are kind of mild when cooked. I kind of treat them like asparagus, and sometimes even cook them together. In fact another one of our favorites is to roast them with asparagus and mushrooms in a single layer with a mix of olive oil and butter in a 400F oven for maybe 20 minutes or so until they are soft.

But since I need to harvest them all just about at once, I need to preserve them. One of my favorite ways is to make a pesto, I chop the scapes, some walnuts and some herbs (usually basil or a bit of oregano). Then I whiz everything in a food processor until the mixture starts to smooth out, I add a splash of lemon juice and then drizzle in some olive oil slowly into the running processor. You can serve this right away on pasta or a baked potato. It's really good to add to a steak or other piece of grilled meat while it is resting too. A blob on a slice of provolone and stuffed in your mouth in too big of a bite is pretty nice too! Maybe put a hunk of tomato in your other cheek too! I know it's impolite, but it is scape season! Ok, but don't choke...

The pesto can be frozen in ice cube trays for a convenient bit of flavor later on when you need a taste of summer. I sometimes just whiz the scapes all by themselves in the processor and freeze the pulp the same way.

A new way (to me) is to pickle them. Take a Quart mason jar and arrange the scapes to fill it, leave some room a the top.

Then, in a sauce pan, mix 2 cups of vinegar (cider vinegar or wine vinegar, just so it is at least 5-6% acidity - and don't use the stuff distilled from corn. That is mostly for washing windows), 2 cups of water, 2 TB coarse salt, 1Tb sugar, and your favorite pickling spice mix. Bring to a boil.

Pour into the jar over the scapes. Make sure they are all covered, but leave about a 1/4" headspace. Put the lid on loosely. When it comes to room temperature, tighten the lid and put it in the back of the 'fridge and wait. Impatiently. For about 2 weeks. the longer you wait the better up to maybe 6 months. I admittedly haven't tried this yet with the garlic scapes, but I have pickled peppers, onions, cukes and other stuff in this way and so I am looking forward to trying it with scapes!

I even had scapes this evening, I had a couple of lamb shanks in the crockpot, along with some tomatoes and artichokes, onions and garlic. I threw some scapes on top toward the end, and they were a fancy garnish/vegetable. I admit that sometimes I take seasonal eating a little more seriously than my family appreciates ("Aww, Scapes again... ?"), but this particular season is so short, I don't even try to hide it. Also, I just cut my last patch, and I have somewhere between 15 and 20 pounds on my kitchen table. They keep for a week or so in the refrigerator, and if the ends dry out, just cut them off. The rest of the scape is fine.

If you want any, I have them up in the farm stand, or email me and I can probably hook you up.

Thanks for Listening,