I never knew garlic plants had scapes or flowers until a couple years ago. They are a fantastic little treat; a bonus that comes from growing our own garlic.
I read the following here:
Garlic Flowers
Hard neck varieties produce a central stalk which goes straight up and then usually makes one or two loops. The garlic top is called a scape, garlic flower or top set, and contains a bulge where bulbils will form. If you want all the plant's energy to go into producing a large bulb, snip the scape off after it has made one or two loops. If you want to use the bulbils to propagate more garlic, leave them in place until harvest time and then dry them separately from the bulbs.
Tip - Steam or Stir Fry Garlic Flowers
The garlic tops, called flowers or garlic scapes, are a gourmet delight! Steam them whole and serve with melted butter like asparagus. Cut them into short lengths to add to a stir fry. They have a delicate garlic flavour which gives a subtly different and delicious flavour to the sauce.
Tonight I'm cooking up that summer squash I got at the Farmer's Market yesterday, along with a red pepper, our own scallions and garlic scapes. All local except for the organic red pepper. Since it is from Holland, I'll just pretend Heidi sent it along to me. :<)
I went to the Farmer's Market on Sunday as well. There are loads of sugar snap peas and snow peas, spinach and lettuces, onions, broccoli and rhubarb. The squashes are starting to come. I think I saw some garlic scapes for sale there;hmmm may have to try those now that you've mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteOh, how exciting! That's so neat you saw the scapes. I think you'll like them.
ReplyDeleteNan, I learned so much about garlic that I never knew a couple of years ago when I read "A Garlic Testiment" by Stanley Crawford. The book is subtitled "Seasons on a Small New Mexico Farm." I really enjoyed this glimpse into the life of a garlic farmer.
ReplyDeleteI've read so much about Garlic Scapes in MaryJane's Farm book. I'd never heard of them before, but now that you mention them too I'm incredibly intrigued.
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