Garlic scapes are green, tender and wildly popular among the gourmet set. They grow in beautiful spirals and can be hard to find in the grocery store. Garlic scapes are all over Vermont gardens at the moment. That’s nice, you think as you wonder, ‘What the heck are they and why should I care?’
Garlic scapes are the shoots sent up by growing hard-neck garlic bulbs. The reasons you should care about them are: they are in season in Vermont right now, they are good for you, and they are delicious. They are tender and versatile and we are giving them away at Green Mountain Garlic.
Their flavor is much more subtle than that of the garlic clove. If you love garlic, but shy away from its fabulous bite-you-back flavor, garlic scapes are your new best friend. Come down to the Garlic Farm and get your scapes! Pick two baskets of garlic scapes and take one home for yourself for free. Picking garlic scapes brings the same pick-one-eat-one joy of fresh produce as berry picking.
Here are some great garlic scape recipes to try:
Baby Potato and Asparagus Salad with Garlic Scapes and Herb Vinaigrette (this recipe comes from Mymansbelly.com, a fun blog about food and relationships)
Salad:
2 Pounds Baby Potatoes (I used gemstone)
1 Pound Asparagus (ends trimmed, cut into 2-inch pieces)
1/2 Cup Finely Chopped Garlic Scapes
For Dressing:
3 Tablespoons Lemon Juice
2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest
1 Tablespoon Chopped Shallots
1/4 Cup Chopped Tarragon
1/4 Cup Chopped Italian Parsley
2 Teaspoons Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/2 Cup Olive Oil
For Salad:
Place potatoes in a large saucepan; fill with enough cold water to cover 2-inches above potatoes. Add 1 teaspoon salt and bring to boil over medium high heat. Cook potatoes until just tender when pierced with a fork, about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes in a colander and cool completely. Cut cooled potatoes in half and place in a large bowl.
Meanwhile, fill a medium saucepan with water and bring to boil. Have a medium bowl filled with ice water ready. Add asparagus to boiling water and cook 2 minutes. Remove asparagus from saucepan and immediately transfer to bowl with ice water to stop cooking process. Drain cooled asparagus and transfer to bowl with potatoes.
For Dressing:
Whisk all ingredients together in a small bowl.
Garlic Scape Tortilla
(this recipes comes from Mariquita Farm, a CSA is California)
1 & 1/2 cups chopped garlic scapes
1/2 cup chopped scallions
1/4 cup hot water
Salt & Pepper
4 large eggs
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
Place garlic and scallions in a 10 inch skillet with 1 tsp. oil, 1/4 cup water and a pinch of salt. Cook covered over med. high heat until tender, about 5 minutes. Drain well. Beat eggs with salt and pepper. Add remaining oil to skillet. When oil is hot, shake skillet to spread greens evenly, add eggs. Cover and cook over med. low heat until top is set [2-3 Minutes].
Experiment with garlic scapes. Toss them into salads and stir frys, make a pesto, roast them, grill them, toss them into mashed potatoes. Enjoy! Garlic scapes are rich in iron, calcium and vitamin C. Bon Appetit!
image credit: mymansbelly.com