Escapades with Garlic Scapes

I’m writing today’s piece (or shall I say peace) on the harvest experience of garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes feel rather newly introduced or featured in my diet and that of what I’ve experienced.  I’ve experienced them the past couple of years at local farmer’s markets.  I even made scape pesto a few years back when a neighbor gave me a bunch from his garden.  Yet, all in all, this flower and stem of the garlic plant seem less than highlighted in our culture’s culinary repertoire.

The scape, which is considered by some to be a delicacy, has the same flavor as garlic, just a little less intense.  It is similar to the asparagus and can be cooked up or eaten raw.  This summer here in Vermont was a plentiful asparagus season.  We had months of days when we were able to pick our asparagus before dinner.  I cooked up asparagus frittatas, spaghetti and asparagus with ham, and sometimes I just steam it and drizzle with a little olive oil.   But now that summer has rolled in, the asparagus are beginning to roll out.   Their spring peak has come to an end.  Well imagine our surprise and excitement when we (my daughter, Athena and I) realized that we had 200 garlic plants in our garden.  This was a project belonging to our former roommate; he had planted his garlic before he knew he was moving.  Today when Athena and I walked out to the garden, boy oh boy, it was prime garlic scape harvesting time.

We clipped the plants; you want to clip the scape before the first leaf of the plant.  The nice thing about this harvest is it is part of a larger picture or process.  Snipping the scape or the bud of the flower, sends more energy in the plant down to the bulb: the garlic!  Bonus: now you have a fresh green vegetable to eat!

With our bucket overflowing with garlic scapes, we pranced gayfully back to the house.  There is something so rewarding, so satisfying about harvesting food.  And we gave our thanks too!  We expressed gratitude for our former roommate – what am awesome thing to share with us.  I had decided on garlic scape pesto for dinner (the recipe follow this article) as a nice way to highlight the harvested bounty.  Next, I wanted to efficiently and successfully store this load of garlic scapes for use in the future.  Our first mission was to chop.

Athena was amazed by the multitude of vegetable.  Ever notice how a garlic scape has a whimsical way about it; its spiral stem leading to a heart shaped bud.  Well the aura of a scape is something to be appreciated.  We chopped scapes for the next 2 hours.  I’ve decided to store a few cups in the refrigerator; these are for cooking scapes in sautés.  I cannot wait to make my Scape Breakfast Frittata for breakfast tomorrow morning: a zesty combination of scapes sautéed in olive oil, 2-3 eggs lightly beaten and poured over the sauté.  Seasoned with salt and pepper and served with a cup of coffee.  Yum, high in protein, strong in flavor- it’s a great way to start a day.

I’ll store another few cups of chopped scapes in the freezer.  This way they can last longer while I’m working with all the fresh ones.  And lastly, I’m making a ton of garlic scape pesto, some of which we had for dinner tonight on farfalle or as Americans know as butterfly pasta.

Health Benefits

The garlic scape, an obvious part of the garlic plant, packs the same nutritional benefits as the bulb itself.  This means scapes provide: protein, vitamin B6, vitamin C, selenium and calcium and help prevent diseases like heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cancer.  Scapes are also known to boost your immune system and reduce inflammation.  This delicacy is usually only available for a short window of time in the summer (this year we’re talking mid to late June in Vermont).  Look for them at your local farmers’ markets or grocery stores.  Stock up on this seasonal veg and freeze what you don’t use so you have bounty to use throughout the next couple of months.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Servings: about 6 oz

Ingredients:

1 cup garlic scapes, chopped

1/3 cup walnuts

¾ cup olive oil

1 cup cooked, chopped spinach

½ cup grated Locatelli, percorino romano

½ tsp salt

Several dashes of pepper

Directions:

1. Add walnuts to the food processor and chop finely.  Next add scapes to walnuts in processor, and chop.

2. Gradually add olive oil and continue to process on chop.

3. Add spinach and process.

4. Add Locatelli, salt, pepper and gently process just to blend mixture. 

5. Taste and season to preference.

Serve 4 tablespoons of pesto with 1 lb. of pasta.

Additionally made pesto can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 month.