hudson grown

I first encountered garlic scapes at an upstate farmstand, and I was curious but a little scared. Not only were they unfamiliar, they seemed to writhe wildly about, like a tangle of green snakes. The farmer who sent me off with a bagful urged me to think of them like a “garlicky asparagus” and that comparison has been my guide in all the steam, sauté and raw forms which I consume the scapes. I now look forward to their verdant, garlic-scented crunch each year.

Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of hardneck varieties of garlic. Hardnecks are also known as cold-hardy, softnecks are the variety you find in warmer climes. When they’re young, they grow in the graceful arcing coil you see at the farmer’s market. At this point farmers snip off the tasty stems not only because they’re delicious but there is some evidence that this helps increase the size of the bulbs that will be harvested later in the summer.

The sturdy, fragrant scapes make fantastic pickles. I was lucky to meet Luke, the purveyor of Luke's Pickled Garlic Scapes at the Hudson Valley Garlic Festival in Saugerties one year (visit their site to see the beautiful rendering of garlic scapes on their 2009 poster). Luke pickles his scapes plain, with dill or with habanero peppers. Buy some or make your own and you can savor scapes year round.

Alternatively, garlic scapes make their own flavorful pesto. The recipe below came to me from Blooming Hill Farm.

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients
6-7 garlic scapes
1 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup grated parmesan or asiago cheese

1. Combine garlic scapes and olive oil in a food processor and blend until smooth.
2. You can either add the cheese to the food processor and blend, or mix it in by hand in a bowl, depending on the consistency you like.
3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Serve on slices of fresh baguette or over fresh pasta.