We discovered garlic scapes last year after coming across them at the farmer’s market in Corvallis. A scape is the top of a hardneck variety garlic blub. This variety of garlic is grown in colder climates and differs from the usual softneck varieties you get from the supermarket. hardneck garlic is characterized by bulb cloves growing around a dense woody central stem. They don’t store as well as softneck garlic – but are just as tasty and have the benefit of the scape in the late spring.
When growing hardneck’s, it’s important to remove the scape to keep the plant’s energy directed at the bulb rather than the flower. The scape appears as a dense curly stem from the center of the plant with a bulb. We let them grow a bit then cut them off before the bulb gets too large.
The scape tastes very much like a clove of mild garlic and can be used like you would a green onion. They can be stored in the refrigerator for a few weeks. Chop them or process them in a food processor to make compound butter or in a vinaigrette.
One great way to use them is to make pesto – you can adjust the amount of scape depending on how much flavor you want – just be sure to adjust the oil as well to make sure the consistency is good. This recipe keeps refrigerated for several weeks and can be used on fish (our favorite), pasta, pizza, or anything else you would use pesto for.
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
1 cup garlic scapes (if they are young, you can keep the bulbs on – otherwide remove and rough chop them)
1/2 cup pine nuts (toasted or raw)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup basil leaves
1 lemon (juice only)
Preparation
Step 1 – process the scapes in a food processor for about 30 seconds, then add the pine nuts and process until they are mixed and roughly chopped – scrape down the bowl
Step 2 – Add the olive oil and process until smooth.
Step 3 – add the parmesan process to combine
Step 4 – add the basil and lemon juice and process until reaching the consistency you desire.
Step 5 – add salt to taste.
