SCAPES: WHAT THEY ARE & HOW TO COOK THEM!
I had no idea what scapes were for most of my life. Scapes for me were a mid-twenties discovery. If you shop at the grocery store and/or don’t grow your own garlic (which was me until I met Jeremiah), knowing what scapes are is highly unlikely.
When Vernon Family Farm first started in Newfields, NH almost 8 years ago, we grew veggies. One of our favorite vegetables to grow was garlic. It’s a fun crop to grow, at least we think so. Garlic is planted before the ground freezes in October/November. This year, we laid down weed guard plus. Weed guard plus is a natural alternative to plastic or weed-killing herbicides that smothers weeds and reduces water loss due to evaporation from the soil. It biodegrades and works really well while being very easy to use.
WHAT ARE SCAPES
The photos above were taken mid-April and here we are mid-June harvesting scapes. The garlic in the field now is tall and pulling it out of the ground will be satisfying when the time comes.
Scapes are the stalks that grow from the bulbs of hardneck garlic plants. “Why harvest scapes?,” you might ask. Because by cutting off the scape, the plant is able to send its energy to increase the bulb size (mature garlic) rather than putting it toward flowers and seed. If left unharvested, pulled garlic tends to be small.
HOW TO COOK SCAPES
There are so many tasty ways to eat garlic scapes. First things first, it doesn’t have to be fancy! Prepare and eat scapes exactly how you would garlic. Chop and roast with veggies or sauté. It can be this simple.
The entire garlic scape is edible which makes it really easy too. Here are some great ideas for you to get started and a recipe for scesto, our favorite way to eat this bonus veggie.
MORE WAYS TO EAT AND PREPARE GARLIC SCAPES:
Chop and sauté with eggs
Grilled scapes
Pickled scapes—so good!
Salad garnish
Add to hummus
Chop and freeze
Stir into mashed potatoes
Add to pasta, potato, egg salads
PRO TIP: if the scapes are too garlicky for your liking, blanching them takes the bite out.
SCAPE PESTO RECIPE
(warning: will cause pungent breath)
1 pound garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
salt to taste
*Some recipes call for almonds, pine nuts or another nut. Pine nuts are quite expensive if you are making larger batches of scape pesto. Our family prefers to add walnuts. If you plan to add nuts, 1/2 cup is needed.
*Some recipes also call for basil. We tend to either make a traditional Genovese basil or a straight-up scape pesto.
Blend all the ingredients together and enjoy!
SHARE YOUR MEAL WITH US
Tag us in your Instagram & Facebook stories @vernonfamilyfarm
We love to see you in the kitchen!
