In today’s post we continue the journey of garlic growth and explore the beautiful world of garlic scapes. Here we discover what a garlic scape is, how to harvest them and what to do with them. So hang on for the continuation of the Garlic Experiment.

We have garlic scapes

In the post The Garlic Experiment – Weeds vs Garlic… What Will Win Out, I expressed my concern for the state of our garlic given how hot and dry it has been. Well, our next trip out resulted in a blend of emotions. Upon first sight of the garden my heart sunk and I said to my husband, ‘the garlic is dead’. The garden and yard looked like the Sahara desert. Everything brown, dry and crispy…. including the garlic. My initial thought… this is going to be a short lived experiment. However, as I got closer, my spirits lifted. There was still green on the plants. Signs of life! Maybe everything was not lost. As I got even closer, excitement took over, all the garlic had developed scapes! I yelled to my husband… ‘We have scapes!’ I even text my mom… ‘I am so excited… we have scapes!’. She quickly replied asking… ‘what are scapes?’.

What is a scape?

You may be like my mother and asking yourself what the heck is a garlic scape, and why would they excite me. Or maybe you got caught up in the excitement and have already googled it. But for those of you on pins and needles and still eagerly awaiting… your wait is over. Here is a glimpse into the beautiful world of garlic scapes. Settle in for an intriguing tale of growth, harvest, taste testing and an explosion of flavour.

A garlic scape is the flower bud that grows out of the centre of the garlic plant. It grows into a curly green shoot with a bud on the end. It is part of the plant that you remove usually in June. If the scape is left on the plant and allowed to grow, all the energy will go to the flower versus the garlic bulb. Leaving you with smaller garlic bulbs with less taste. So it is imperative that the scape be removed to ensure healthy growth of the garlic bulb.

You may be asking, why am I so excited about a bud growing from our garlic? Well first, it was the main sign that our garlic was in fact not dead and that we may still have a crop. The other… scapes are considered a delicacy and are a highly sought after product at the markets. Yes the intent is to eat these savoury little morsels. I have heard nothing but amazing culinary tales of this garlic offshoot, but have to admit I have never tried it myself. Like any first time garlic farmer I was not sure how to remove it or prep it for cooking. So join me as I learn and experiment with our garlic scapes. Are you now as excited as I am? I know the suspense is killing you… like watching a spine tingling thriller. So let’s see what lurks around the next corner.

Harvesting scapes

First step is to remove the scapes from the garlic plants. Now there are two methods to remove the scape, one is pulling them out from the centre of the plant, the other is to clip them off close to the top leaf of the plant. This is the method that I have chosen. So with shears in hand, I cut off the scapes on almost all the garlic. They cut easily and quickly fill my basket. When harvested, scapes look a bit like curly beans and pack a punch of flavour.

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We have opted to leave a couple scapes on as part of our garlic experiment. As we are curious what these will look like in full growth and what we may be able to do with them. This is an experiment after all. Scapes, when left on, help determine when the garlic is ready to be harvested. When they grow straight, it is time to harvest your garlic.

What can you do with scapes?

So now what? After this, I now have a mound of scapes. Way too much to eat within the next few days. We decide to set some aside for a taste test and store the rest. Now scapes can be stored in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge for a few weeks, or in the freezer for longer storage. There are many ways you can eat scapes. As scapes have a garlic taste, they can be used in many of the same dishes you would use garlic, but they can also be eaten on their own. They can be eaten raw, roasted, grilled, in salads, in pesto, in pasta, soup, stir fry, and pickled. However for the purposes of this post we will do a little taste test in three different ways: raw, roasted and grilled.

But how do you prep this interesting product for eating? You first want to cut off any hard ends. Scapes can be similar to asparagus where the ends get kind of woody. Scapes are also curly and can sometimes be a little difficult to work with, so you may want to cut them into pieces. Sized based on what you want to do with them. For the purposes of our taste test we will cut them in half. My research tells me there are mixed feelings on whether you should cut off the buds or keep them on and eat them. But since we are in experiment mode, we are going to eat the whole thing and tell you from first hand experience what you should do. As it is all edible. But we all know, just because you can eat it, doesn’t mean it tastes good.

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How do scapes taste?

Raw Scapes

I cut up a scape and bite into the bud first. Initially just a soft seedy texture. And then… the fire hit. Wow that is hot! My mouth is on fire! So I move on to different parts of the stem, curious if it was the same throughout. Heat! Everywhere! Sadly the taste is lost through the heat. As for texture… parts of the stem are tough and stringy making it difficult to bite through. I bite through the centre of the stem easily and would classify it as crunchy. As I go through this, I ask myself… should it be like this or have I harvested at the incorrect time causing them to be tougher then they should be. All I can say… I do not recommend eating them raw. But, I definitely see how they would be a great addition to cooking for a garlicky spicy flavour.

Roasted or Grilled Scapes

So next up…. how does cooking scapes change their texture and flavour? We decide to cook them in two different ways: roasted and grilled. After trying them raw we learn that you should cut off more of the end that is woody. Bend the scape along the stem until you find where it toughens… then cut it at that point. With what’s left, cut into pieces or leave whole, put a little olive oil, salt and pepper on them and they are ready to cook. Place them on a baking sheet to roast or directly on the grill. Cook at around 400 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes or till golden brown.

Now we ended up cooking them a little longer and probably over cooked them. But, I have to say even a little over done they were delicious. Golden brown, crispy and sweet. Quite delicious and something we will definitely try again. Since then we have also included them in a pork loin stuffing… and wow what an amazing flavour they added.

To scape or not to scape?

So again we are totally taken in by this interesting versatile plant. Loving the scapes and the variety of culinary options they bring. I highly recommend you buy some from a market and try them for yourself in some of your favorite dishes. This is definitely another successful step in the garlic experiment. Here’s hoping the rest of the experiment goes as well. Stayed tuned for the next instalment of harvesting the garlic and what happens to scapes when left on the garlic plant. Are you as intrigued as I am?