Garlic Scapes, How Did We Ever Get by Without Them?
When we first started growing hard neck garlic, we were surprised in early June to see a stalk growing right out of the center of the plant. Like most folks, we went to the internet to find out what exactly it was. We came to find out that it was called a scape and it was the flower stalk of the garlic plant, and needs to be removed to help increase the energy that goes to the actual head of garlic that is nestled in the soil, waiting for mid July to be harvested. We found that it was also versatile and delicious and ready to harvest when they curl in a circle.
They have a garlicky flavor that is milder than actual garlic. They can be used in all kinds of dishes including soups, stews and salads. Where they really shine is when they are made into pesto.
The pesto is good on everything from toast to chicken, beef and fish. We love to make a quick shrimp scampi with it. Simply toss cooked shrimp with the pesto and serve over pasta. It even freezes well so we are able to use it year round. But wait, there’s more…
One of our most recent and incredibly delicious discoveries is garlic scape butter. It is a compound butter made simply with unsalted butter, minced scapes and a pinch of salt. That’s it. And oh my goodness, once you try it, you will not believe it has taken so long to become part of your life.
This little gem packs a big punch of flavor. On a bagel? Baked potato? Home fries? Pasta? Yes to all of the above. The possibilities are endless! And I hope you are not hungry, check this out….
I suppose the lesson learned here is that something that you might think of as garbage or compost can be just as delicious, and some might argue, better than the final result in the actual head of garlic. Garlic is the plant that gives us two amazing harvests and we are grateful for the deliciousness they give us!
two branches homestead 
I just cooked up some scape along with my asparagus for dinner. The butter sound great. I might try that. 🙂
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you really should
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I never thought of butter with scapes. Sounds so absolutely delicious!! Thanks for this great idea! You guys rock!!
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Thanks so much you are going to love it
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Great post! I tossed a few in my cauliflower bed as an experiment, noting that I was having some slug damage in there, yet not on the broccoli in the bed next to it, which has elephant garlic growing in between the plants. Might seem like a waste of scapes to some folks, but its working. Steaks looked great, btw. 😋
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That’s an awesome tip and I have some left over I’m going to try it thanks so much
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great article, Tracy. I was going to ask you your favorite way to prepare scapes…this year I roasted some with other veggies and what a nice mild garlic flavor they impart in the dish…I also just cut a bunch of them up and froze to put in soups . How you deal with was it 1200 scapes? I don’t know but I must say that you and Gary make a great team.
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Thanks, Barb! Great to hear from you! I do the same, cut up and freeze for soup, stew, etc… but I have to say that my favorite my way is probably the butter, just endless possibilities, freezes perfectly. I think I only processed maybe 1/10th of what Gary actually cut, maybe…Made 3 batches of pesto and sold out all three times, same with the butter. 2 years ago I invested in a commercial grade food processor and that was truly a game changer in the processing department!!
PS: there are 7500 heads in the ground this year ; )
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