Try Something New: Garlic Scapes

Garlic scape harvest, 2023

This one is a farm favorite and something that you may have never had before if you've not been a CSA member or frequent farmer's market shopper. This crop is the flowering stem of the garlic plant. The harvest is dual purpose: removing the stalk prompts the plant to put more energy into bulbing, resulting in higher garlic yields. At the same time, we get a special seasonal edible veggie out of it!

The scapes themselves are little curliques and their flavor is like a verdant, vegetal version of garlic. If scallion is to onion, garlic scapes are to garlic. You can chop them up and sautee them anywhere you'd like a garlic flavor. You can also blend them into hummus, pestos, or anywhere you'd like that raw garlic kick. I particularly like a seasonal pea-and-garlic-scape pesto if you have a good source for fresh peas. 

Each year, the returning crew looks forward to the garlic scape harvest and new crew become enchanted when they experience it for the first time. Pulling up on the garlic scape, some of them snap off under the strain, but many of them sliiiiiide and *pop* out of the center of the plant with an oh-so-satisfying feeling and sound. It's like field harvest ASMR. We tried to film some ASMR videos for social media with..... limited success. Check them out if you care to!

The other exciting thing about the garlic scape harvest is that it means the regular garlic harvest isn't far off!! It seems like the scape and garlic harvest is coming earlier each year. We usually cure our garlic bulbs in the barn and save them until late July for distribution. 

Garlic scapes last for a long time in the fridge wrapped in plastic if you decide to stock up!