Dig into our garlic scape pathfinder to steep novel , rich flavor into your outflow menu .
As esurient plant and nutrient lovers , little make for us more delight and hope after a long , frigid winter than seeing spring ’s first shoot bolt down up out of the soil . Along withasparagus , hearty leafy Green , peas , and ramp , garlic shaft are among the first harbinger of an intact season of garden fun before .
Since garlic scape are not precisely a household name across the United States ( especially compare to their relative , garlic bulbs ) , you might not know what to do with garlic scapes . If this hits home , we have three piece of not bad news :
Credit: Brie Passano
interpret on for all the crap . You might just dig up your new favoritespring veggie !
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Unlike most fruits and vegetables with one harvest season , Allium sativum has two . You ’re in all likelihood intimate with the second , which hits in late summer and involves the gravid bulbs you know and screw from recipes like our glorious gem tinRoasted Garlicand Ina Garten ’s epicChicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic .
The first harvest hits in former springiness and early summertime and involves garlic scapes . Harvesting the garlic scapes is an crucial part of garlic ’s life cycle . If gardeners and farmers allowed the scapes to produce all time of year , the works would squander energy to lengthen the stem and flower , and the resulting garlic incandescent lamp would be low and far less flavorsome . So think of fudge garlic scapes as a way to promotebeautiful bulbsa few calendar month later .
In generations retiring , many peoplecompostedor chuck out scapes . But now , garlic scapes are gaining in popularity as an ingredient worthy of the glare — and of selling and savoring .
Credit: Blaine Moats
Garlic shaft are the tender radical and flower bud of thehardneck garlic plantthat produces garlic bulbs with many clove . Scapes rise out of the top of each garlic incandescent lamp , then hand-build into recollective , scrawny , green halt that look somewhat like tender , twirlygreen beansorgreen onion plant . Their texture is consanguine to fresh , slender edible asparagus stalks .
Garlic is part of theonion family , so garlic scapes are relatives of green onion , shallots , and the Allium you probably cook with frequently . But garlic scapes aren’tgreen onion , green garlic , or ramps . Here ’s the deviation :
Raw garlic scape are tamer than raw ail cloves yet offer plenty of clean , oniony , herbaceous flavor . Since garlic scape savor " greener " than regular garlic , their sapidity is redolent of garlic andchives .
How to Cook With Garlic Scapes
Before we plunge into how to cook garlic scape , we want to cover a common question : " What part of garlic scapes do you eat ? " For the most pleasant texture , practice the slim base in the middle . Wash the garlic flower stalk , then trim off the close and the bud . Garlic scape formula showcase them unsanded or cooked , sliced thin or fudge whole . If you remember one affair , this is it : If you ’re stumped about how to use garlic scape , just utilise them any way you might with garlic , fleeceable Allium sativum , or green Allium cepa .
Here are eight of our favorite garlic shaft uses :
How to Store Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes season typically runs from late springtime to early summer . The time of year is short , and some farmers and nurseryman still throw away them , so if you ’re lucky enough to spy garlic scape , stock up ! Look for garlic scapes at yourfarmers market , Asiatic supermarket , and grocery stores .
Store garlic scapes in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 weeks . To extend their life , seek pickle ( as mentioned above ) or wash , slice , and freeze garlic scape in an airtight freezer - good bag for up to 6 month .
