| The Garlic Scape: Eat It or Wear It | |
by Judy Sobeloff, from the June 2004 newsletter
A few months ago someone asked me what my qualifications were to write this column, and I said it’s that I don’t know much about food. (Lest you think those were fighting words on her part and wish to defend my honor, she was from out of town and had never read the newsletter.) In any case, my blissful ignorance is the main thing I have going for me this month, when I present my close, personal friend, the garlic scape. I do remember tasting some intriguing pickled garlic scapes at the tail end of a previous garlic scape season, but the window of availability is brief and I haven’t managed to encounter them since.
That’s why I’m writing about them now so that when they do arrive for their short stay in the produce department this summer, we can all be ready. In the meantime, we can construct our padded suits to help minimize injury during the inevitable frenzy they are likely to inspire among garlic lovers and wannabes alike.
O.K., O.K., what is a garlic scape? In her column “Simply MJ,” Mary Jane Butters writes, “scapes are the flower stalks found on members of the Allium family (onions, leeks, chives, and garlic). Garlic scapes, which only appear on the finest hardneck garlic varieties, curl upward as they grow, ultimately straighten, and then grow little seed-like bulbs. When the garlic scapes are still in full curl, they are tender and delicious.”
Russell, of Affinity Farm, predicts that garlic scapes will be ready around mid-June this year, but explained that because the scapes need to be pinched off about three weeks before the bulbs are ready to be harvested, the timing is “a bit of a gamble.” A young scape makes one or two loops before straightening out, he said, so “as soon as it loops back around, we pluck it off. [This] sends more energy to making a bigger bulb and [the scape] is more tender.”
Dory, who works at Mary Jane’s Paradise Farm, describes garlic scapes as “really, really good. They’re a totally underutilized part of the garlic. Most people only use the bulbs and they’re throwing away the tops. It’s a waste.”
Talking to Dory, I got the idea that although many people don’t even know about garlic scapes (outside the Palouse, anyway), they somehow represent garlic for everyone, because the scapes are said to have a milder flavor without the hot garlic “bite.” To me this means garlic lovers can eat even more garlic than usual, and that those who normally shy away from garlic can join in the fun, too. Dory agreed: “People who love garlic absolutely love the garlic scape,” she said, adding, “It also appeals to those skeptical about eating a clove of garlic [who want] the health benefits.”
The most popular use of garlic scapes seems to be pesto, hands down. For those interested in garlic scape recipes, I found more than 20 at dakotagarlic.com including four recipes for different kinds of garlic scape pesto (standard, spinach, walnut, and sunflower seed). Other suggested uses of garlic scapes are stir-frying, pickling, steaming, and chopping raw for use in salads. For stir-frying, dakotagarlic.com suggests: “chop them into two inch lengths, boil for two minutes, then add to the stir-fry mix during the last minute of preparation.”
Russell said he’d heard of people grinding the scapes and freezing them in ice cube trays for convenient use in cooking later. Lahde, former Co-op produce manager, said she likes using garlic scapes like asparagus, sauteing them in olive oil or butter. She also thinks they’re beautiful. “You can wear them on your arm like a bracelet,” she said. “They’d make nice artwork.”
Garlic Scape Pesto (from maryjanesfarm.com/SimplyMJ)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp. fresh lime or lemon juice
1/4 lb. scapes
1/2 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Puree scapes and olive oil in a food processor until smooth. Stir in Parmesan and lime or lemon juice and season to taste. Serve on bread, crackers or pasta.
Fried Scapes (from dakotagarlic.com)
Cut scapes to green bean size and saute them in butter and salt for six to
eight minutes. During the last minute of cooking add about 1 tsp. of balsamic
vinegar.
Spinach and Scape Frittata (adapted from dakotagarlic.com)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
10 eggs
1 cup (1/2 lb.) chopped raw spinach
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp. chopped parsley or basil
1/2 c. finely chopped garlic scapes
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350°. In a large bowl mix all ingredients except oil and scapes. Heat oil in a 10-inch ovenproof skillet on the stove. Add the scapes and saute until tender on medium heat for about five minutes. Pour egg mixture in skillet with garlic and cook over low for three minutes. Place in oven and bake uncovered for 10 minutes or until top is set. Cut into wedges and serve.
Judy Sobeloff can’t wait to eat garlic scape pesto and wear garlic scape bracelets.
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