What are garlic scapes?

Hardneck varieties of garlic produce a flowering stalk, called a scape. As they grow, they twist and coil in snake-like forms. Farmers and gardeners remove these stalks as any energy going into the flowering and seeding process is energy that isn’t going into growing the garlic bulb. The great thing, though, is that garlic scapes are a real treat. You won’t find them at a grocery store. You’ll have to grow them yourself or keep an eye out for their brief appearance at your local farmers’ market.

What can you do with Garlic Scapes?

Garlic scapes are really versatile. As you would expect, they definitely taste of garlic, but much milder than you might expect, especially when cooked. Their texture, color and shape may remind you of thin asparagus stalks. And, honestly, much of what you do with thin asparagus stalks, you could also do with garlic scapes. I’ve tossed them in olive oil and thrown them on the grill to be enjoyed alongside other seasonal vegetables. I’ve diced them up, sautéed them a bit, and then used them as the star of an omelet. I’ve chopped them up and included them in stir fries. I’ve sautéed them whole and layered them at the top of a frittata.

One thing to be aware of is the long, pointy sheath surrounding the developing flower bud can have a papery texture. It’s best to trim them off, unless you are going to give them a fine dice or run them though the food processor.

My favorite thing to do with garlic scapes is to have them star in a pesto. Garlic scape pesto, like the classic basil-based pesto, is very versatile. We do a lot of pizza in our house, so most of the garlic scape pesto that I make ends up as pizza sauce. Stirring into custardy scrambled eggs is another option.

Make up a batch of pan seared green beans, and then toss them in a couple teaspoons of pesto. Same for boiled or sautéed new potatoes.  Use it anywhere you would like a little, nice, garlicy kick. Garlic scape pesto also freezes well, so I usually save a couple 4 ounce mason jars in the freezer so I can pull it out in other seasons.

How Do You Make Garlic Scape Pesto?

Like any other pesto (such as classic basil, carrot top or roasted red pepper), you’ll need a handful of nuts, some dry aged cheese, a pinch of salt and some olive oil. The nut variety is up to you. Options that I like include pecans, pistachios or almonds. The type of cheese is also up to you. Parmesan is a common choice. Pecorino Romano is another. I’m particular to a cheese from a local purveyor which is done in the style of an aged Asiago. I’ll specify some measurements in the recipe below, but you can really wing pestos. Garlic should be the primary flavor, but if you can also taste cheese and nuts, you’ve got a pretty good ratio. The amount of olive oil you use is totally dependent on how loose you want the pesto to be.