What are garlic stems?
They are also sometimes called garlic shoots, stems, spears, or, our favorite, serpent garlic. The garlic that we all know and love has separate cloves and papery skin. That stuff starts out as green garlic (or spring garlic), before it matures. The bulb and roots grow underground while a stem, leaves and scapes soak up sunshine up above.
Can you use garlic scapes for anything?
You can really use garlic scapes any way you would use green onions, chives, or garlic cloves. But before you get started cooking with garlic scapes, make sure to cut off the tips and the bulb, as these can get quite mealy once cooked.
Why do you remove the stalk of garlic?
The stalk grows upwards for several inches then will curl once or twice before continuing to grow upward. Removing this stalk, or garlic scape allows the plant to devote its energy into growing a larger bulb of garlic. The garlic scape is edible and has a lovely, mild garlic flavor with a hint of sweetness.
What part of the garlic plant is edible?
The bulb and roots grow underground while a stem, leaves and scapes soak up sunshine up above. Obviously, garlic is amazing for lots of reasons, but here's our favorite one: the whole plant is edible.
What are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes, also sometimes called garlic stems, stalks, shoots or spears, are the flower stalks that hardneck garlic plants produce before the bulbs mature.
How to Harvest Garlic Scapes
The scape is most tender, with almost an asparagus-like texture when it is curling. If harvested a little later, the base becomes more fibrous and woody. I harvest mine all at once at the curly state by cutting the scape at the bottom where it meets the last leaf of the plant.
Ways to Preserve Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are an excellent way to add a hint of garlic to any dish you want to season with a mild garlic flavor. They can also be preserved or pickled which allows you to enjoy them all year round. Here are several ways you can preserve garlic scapes:
Recipes for Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes can be cooked in so many ways. The texture is similar to asparagus, so it holds up well to roasting, grilling, and sautéing. It has a mild garlicky flavor, and can be used in any savory recipe that calls for garlic.
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The Basics
The curly flower stalk of a hardneck garlic plant, picked before the flower bulb opens and while still tender.
Garlic Scape FAQs
Well, because they're healthy and delicious, first and foremost - but there's more to it than that! The scapes are cut off of hardneck garlic before the plants can flower, thereby encouraging the plant to put more of its energy into growing the bigger, tastier garlic bulbs.
How-To
Farmers markets and local farm-stands and green grocers are often the best best, but garlic scapes can sometimes be found in larger grocery stores as well.
Culinary Info
Pungent/Sweet/Green - Scapes have a pleasant, tender green vegetable flavour combined with a sharp garlicky 'bite.' The garlic flavour is strongest in raw scapes, but still distinct and noticeable after cooking.
In the Freezer
Fresh scapes can be stored in the refrigerator and should be used within a week. Cut off the end that was attached to the bulb and toss out the flowery blossom – it gets stringy as it ages. Blanch or quick boil your organic garlic scapes for a minute, drop them in an ice bath, and then freeze them.
Relish
Use garlic scapes or organic garlic flowers as part of a spicy relish. Chop them into small pieces with cucumber or celery, then add herbs and salt. Throw in a couple tablespoons of whey, close the container tightly, and let it ferment until it bubbles. Add to a sandwichor your favorite hamburger.
Pesto
Harvest garlic flowers in the bud stage and ferment them in organic cold-pressed sunflower oil with Caldwell’s starter culture for two months. Use it in place of garlic in your basil pesto recipes, or eat it as a fermented garlic pesto on its own.
Salads
Organic garlic flowers are great when served raw in tuna or chicken salads. Just chop up the shoots and scatter them through out the salad. Like raw spring onions, they add a needed bit of zesty crunch.
Stir-Fry
Garlic scapes are a great addition to almost any stir-fry. They complement the dish with a sweet, succulent taste, but don’t compete with stronger flavored ingredients. The dark green, curly stem adds a touch of color, and the taste makes the stir fry a bit more enticing.
Salad dressings
Blanch or puree garlic scapes and add to vinegar, cream or oil to make your own dressing. It’s best to use just the stem for salad dressings, since they have a longer shelf life then the bubils or miniature cloves.
Fermented food plate
Garlic scapes can be easily pickled whole or chopped up in brine. Twist the long, thin green scapes into a glass jar or other container, pour brine over the top, cover, and let them ferment. If you have more time, dice the scapes into small pieces before you add the brine.
Pesto and Salsa Verde
Any green, herby sauce makes a good home for those leftover herb stems. They can help to fill out a blended sauce like pesto —it's kind of all the same when you buzz it up like that—and when chopped finely they add flavor and a bit of crunch to looser sauces, like a simple salsa verde. Get 'em in there!
Broths and Soups
When building a quick broth, you need as much help as you can get in the flavor-building category. Parmesan rinds, miso, and alliums like garlic and onions are all great, but herb stems belong in that pot too.
Salads and Vinaigrettes
Herbs in salad? Very good. Herb stems in salad? Also very good. You probably don't want to make a whole salad out of herb stems, but incorporating finely chopped stems into your salad—whether it's a simple green salad or a more elaborate, veggie-packed situation—is a pro move. Herby complexity: always welcome.
