Garlic Scapes are one of the best hidden gems of the summer. For those unfamiliar, a garlic scape is the flower stem of the garlic plant. Each garlic plant puts out one scape. The garlic scape season is fleeting and lasts for only around 2 weeks so don't miss out on this early summer treat!
Garlic Scapes flavor depends on if they're cooked or not. When raw, garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavor with a little bite. When cooked, garlic scapes mellow out considerably and they get much more sweet. Here are our favor ways to use garlic scapes, complete with recipes!
Garlic Scape Pesto
Made similar to "normal" pesto. Garlic scape pesto adds a nice garlicy flavor to your pesto. I like to do a 1 to 1 ratio of garlic scapes to fresh basil. You could also substitute in parsley or add parsley. Use the pesto for everything! Some of our favorites include using it as a base in addition to pizza sauce for homemade pizzas. You can use it as a spread for sandwhiches or put a healthy spoonful into some scrambled eggs.
Here's the basic recipe from New York Times Cooking
Grilled or Sautèd Garlic Scapes
This isn't so much a recipe as just a simple technique. All you need is your favorite cooking oil and scapes (salt and pepper too but I'm assuming most folks have these). When grilled or sautéd, scapes loose some of their garlic flavor and get considerably sweet. The texture and consistency reminds you of asparagus. They are SO good!
To grill scapes toss the scapes in your favorite oil. No need to cut them before hand and grill on high until tender. About 3-5 minutes. We like when they are just barely starting to get wrinkly and pick up a little brown color from the grill grates.
To sauté scapes on a stovetop heat oil over medium heat in your favorite sauté pan. Add the scapes and cook until tender. About 5 minutes. As above, we like when they start to get a little bit wrinkly and pick up some color from the pan.
Enjoy the scapes before they're gone!
