07/10/2026
Scapes -a seasonal delicacy with the freshest green garlic smell you'll never find in a grocery store.
Picking the scape when it makes a full curl, before it gets tough will optimize your hard neck garlic harvest later on this summer. It should still be tender and snap, not needing cutting. Some varities of garlic will make a double curl, if its gone straight up you are too late, its goingto be tough and too late to increase your garlic bulb size. In a few weeks after picking the scapes, the garlic leaves brown up, putting energy into the garlic bulb. You'll know they are ready to pull when the bottom half to 2/3 of the leaves are brown and dry or yellow. Also, try to avoid watering the garlic after the scapes are picked, which in our area can be tricky with our rainfall some summers to let the garlic dry out to pull and dry for storage or replanting later in the fall.
There are so many ways to prepare scapes -pesto and pickling are very popular but they can also be prepared many other ways. They can be fried as a side vegetable, made into compound butter, pureed into salad dressing (we've made it with fresh raspberries and scapes, some vinegar sugar and salt), puree with a little oil and freeze for later in the year, dried and powdered( a great way to use up tough scapes) or add into your hummus for a fresh garlicky green hummus. We've also put it diced up in the bottom of salmon jars when pressure cooking salmon.
How do you enjoy your scapes? There will be some Dilly Pickled Scapes on the stand and at the market this weekend.