In each of the past three weeks, I have been delighted to find garlic
scapes in the weekly box of produce I receive from the CSA
(community-supported agriculture) I joined this year.  Because those firm,
green, curly-cues of flavor come only once a year, and then they’re
gone, this is the time to enjoy them!  As I’ve said before about
belonging to a CSA, I appreciate the zucchini, onions, and tomatoes, but
I adore the kohlrabi, Swiss chard, chamomile (jam it into a small mug
and pour boiling water over it) and the things whose names I learned
only recently.  Like garlic scapes.

You may be one of those people who is asking right now, “What exactly are garlic scapes?” Here is what I’ve learned:

Garlic and its Allium family relatives (leeks, chives, scallions,
onions) begin their underground lives as soft bulbs. As garlic bulbs
harden, a shoot rises up and curls above the ground.  This shoot,or
flower stalk, is called the scape, and I read that it appears only on
the finest hardneck varieties of garlic.  If left unattended, the scape
eventually straightens, hardens and turns the opaque white/beige color
of a garlic peel.  That’s the status of several garlic scapes in my
garden currently.  Oh well, better luck next year.  As the scape absorbs
its share of energy from the plant, it also prevents the garlic bulb
from growing large and fragrant.  So farmers harvest the scape in full
curl, before it straightens, when it is still tender and delicious.

Here are a few ideas for what to do with garlic scapes.  You can 1)
grill them like asparagus; 2) chop them up and add them to eggs,
vegetables, salad, rice, pasta or a stir-fry; 3) cut them to green bean
size, saute them in butter and salt for 6-8 minutes, and add a teaspoon
of balsamic vinegar the last minute of cooking; or 4) make garlic scape
pesto.  Toss pieces of 4-8 raw garlic scapes into a food processor.  Add
grated parmesan cheese and walnuts, toasted if you’d like.  Use pumpkin
seeds if you don’t eat nuts.  Pour in 1/4 cup olive oil, 2 tablespoons
lemon juice, some salt and pepper, and give it a spin —> voila,
garlic scape pesto!  Spread pesto on toast, add it to pasta, or place a
tablespoonful in a little ramekin with a raw egg (cracked open, no
shell).  Bake in the toaster oven at 350 for 10-12 minutes.  The flavor
of this simple recipe is so heavenly that if you make it for breakfast,
it will put a glow on the rest of your day.

Yesterday I fried a full bunch each of approximately 10 garlic scapes
and 10 scallions in some olive oil until they were starting to turn a
bit brown around the edges.  I added a bunch of kale [rinsed, leaves
sliced from the rib, and then sliced again into thin strips].  My co-cook
stirred it around a bit until all the leaves were bright green and
shiny.  We sprinkled in some hot curry powder for flavor, just two
shakes, plus a few generous shakes each of salt and pepper.  Then we
poured in 10 scrambled eggs, put the cover on the frying pan, and turned
down the heat.  The first time I checked, the eggs were still wet, but
when I checked it again in after about 15-18 total minutes of cooking, it looked perfect.  I
turned off the heat and left it to sit a few minutes to absorb the kale
liquid, and then served it in slices, straight from the pan.  Leftovers went into the refrigerator to be eaten later, cold.

I’m captivated by the mythical plant creation that Barbara Kingsolver
calls the “vegetannual.”  Kingsolver’s vegetannual is what a single
plant would look like if that single plant were a representation of the
entire cycle of germination, growth, and ripening through which a garden travels from early
spring to the end of the growing season.  It’s real life, producing
all food in its proper season, in its own time.  Like all gifts from
the garden, garlic scapes have their own season, so get some now if you
have the chance.