How to Use Garlic Scapes in Recipes-

Last week I shared the photo (below) wondering if anyone could guess what they are. I also posted it on Instagram. you can read their guesses there too. They are garlic scapes! Have you ever heard of them? They were certainly a new find for hubby and I. You may be surprised to know that they are actually considered a  delicacy. A rare edible that is only found two weeks out of the year. Garlic scapes come from hard neck garlic and they are those wonderful curly tendrils, (curly stems ) that are found above the garlic.

A lot of people remove them and just toss them away in the compost bin. But my hubby’s friend, who is a Master Gardener, brought in a bunch for us to try. He said they are only harvested two weeks out of the year in mid-June and needed to be prepared properly for eating. We were instructed to cut about an inch below the bulb area ( this is the part you will use for your recipe), just snip with garden scissors. Then treat them like all things from the garden and clean and dry them. When you cut the scapes off it also allows the garlic to draw more of the nutrients to the garlic and not to the stem ( scapes). Garlic scapes can be frozen without blanching and you can enjoy their flavor all year long.
I asked if he there were any menu suggestions for using the scapes, and the reply was basically, “if you like garlic flavor, use it like garlic in your recipes”. Simple enough, right? Because I can’t eat onions I was very excited to add a little something to a summer salad recipe. Garlic scapes are not a one for one ratio. You may need to experiment a little bit. I did some experimenting on my own and I came up with this simple conversion chart based on approximately 1 bulb ( 10-12 cloves of garlic).
We were planning a small barbecue and I wanted potato salad. You can find my restricted diet version HERE. I substituted scapes for chives.
So boom chacka laka, my scapey potato salad was made and enjoyed, immensely. I add mayo to the potato salad I make for others as well as, some pickle relish and green onions. I substituted the onion with scapes . I know everyone has their own favorite version of potato salad. But, if you have an opportunity to try these for yourself I would love to know how you used them.

I found some other fantastic recipes using garlic scapes. It’s going to be a scorcher here this week so I know summer salads are a great way to have a light meal and stay out of the hot kitchen, I’ll be making  one of these yummy recipes. All of the images and recipes were shared on pinterest and are linked to the original recipe. Wow I really should have staged my photo instead of this quick snap. All of these fantastic recipes are photographed beautifully.

Wouldn’t this wonderful recipe for Garlic Scape and Cherry Tomato Pasta be great chilled! I found it at saveur.com

Grilled Naan with Garlic Scape Chutney shared by Feasting Ar Home

Asparagus-ricotta-garlic-scape-pesto-flatbread.shared by local milk

I hope to see you all back here for the Thursday Favorite Things link party. Please invite your friends too!  I’ll see the early birds tomorrow night at 7pm (MST)

Which  Garlic Scapes Recipes will you try first?

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