Hands in the Dirt: Garlic Scapes

Photo and article by Donna Iverson 

Farmers markets are places of discovery as much as places to buy farm-raised fruits and veggies. 

This past Saturday, I was looking for anything out of the ordinary. Then I spied a pile of long green snake-like curly shoots. When I asked the farmer what they were, she said  “Garlic scapes.”  
“That’s what I’m here for,” said the man in line behind me.  “What do you do with them?” I asked. “Chop them up, sauté them and sprinkle them on pasta,” he answered. “Delicious,” he added.

Turns out, garlic scapes are only available for a few weeks in early summer. Farmers cut off the shoots that grow out of the underground garlic bulb. That way, the bulb grows bigger as the energy is funneled downward.

Other plants that have scapes that you might be familiar with are leeks and scallions.  Scapes are also found on plants of many families, including Amaryllidaceae, Asphodelaceae, Balsaminaceae, Liliaceae, Papaveraceae, Droseraceae, and Violaceae.

Taste wise, garlic scapes are not as pungent as garlic bulbs, but stronger than chives. They can be added to pasta dishes, salads, soups, sauces and quiche. Cooks also purée them and turn them into pesto. 

​Garlic scapes store in the refrigerator for about three weeks and can be frozen.  In the freezer, they keep for about a year.

The garlic scapes pictured here were grown on the Tortoise and Hare organic farm in North Muskegon.

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