What are Garlic Scapes?
This morning I cut garlic scapes from our 3’ x 6’ raised bed. I love that our beds are 36” tall! There is no bending over and it’s so easy to plant and harvest. But that’s another story . . .
We plant garlic cloves in the fall, anticipating beautiful garlic bulbs to give our cooking a fresh and earthy flavor. In the spring, we love to see tiny garlic leaves break through the soil early and grow to 18”-24” tall with long healthy green leaves. It always surprises me to see a long, strong, seed pod appear about the leaves: the garlic scape. Did you know you can eat them?
Taste of Home magazine featured garlic scapes in a May 2024 article. You can read all about them here.
“The whole garlic scape is edible, including the flower bulb at the end. Some people remove the bulb because it has a thinner texture than the rest of the stalk. It can taste fibrous when consumed raw and will cook at a different rate when sauteing or roasting scapes.
Garlic scapes have the same bright garlic aroma, but they’re milder in flavor and don’t taste as spicy. Most people describe them as a cross between chives and raw garlic, and they develop roasted garlic’s sweet flavor when cooked.”
My first taste of a garlic scape was at a farmer’s market several years ago. I was given a sample of roasted/toasted scapes with salt. YUM. Anyone have an air fryer? What an easy way to create a fresh and wholesome snack! I am going to try using scapes to make a garlic cracker, or flavor some homemade croutons.
I’d love to know how you use them! Let me know in a comment here, or the next time you pick up your farm share!
