Garlic Scapes

Durgan · June 22, 2015

http://www.durgan.org/URL/?JYAFL 14 June 2015 Garlic Scapes.
The garlic is at the producing scape stage, which is the curly stem which produces bulbils at the end if allowed to mature.The scapes may be cut off and used at this stage. Also I don’t particularly enjoy the scapes in cookery. There is some reports that larger cloves form if the scapes are removed. I have encountered no evidence of this. I let the bulbils mature until the main bulb is harvested. Experience has indicated that larger cloves form if the cloves are allowed to mature until the skin of the bulbs just starts to burst. In other words storage time is increased, since the cloves can dry more thoroughly. Also shown in the pictures is two rows of elephant garlic, first time grown, and a row of bulbils planted in 2014.The crop will be harvested about the end of July.The main garlic is from my own saved bulbs from the 2014 crop. The elephant garlic was purchased from the supermarket.

barefootgardener · June 23, 2015

Very nice picture Durgan. I have some scapes on my garlic. I was not sure if I wanted to snip off the scapes and just let them do their thing, or take some off to cook with. Since I have not cooked with scapes before, I am curious to how they flavor and enhance dishes. I might try just a few in a pasta dish..

Ginny

Marcus1 · June 23, 2015

I try to pull the scapes out if I plan on eating them. The light green stem that pulls out of the stalk is much more tender than the part that is out of the stalk, they can get pretty fibrous. We like to sauté them with some soy sauce. Had some on our hamburgers the other night, were quite tasty.

Father'sDaughter · June 28, 2015

Half of my scapes were harvested a week ago, and the remaining ones were picked yesterday. Later this week most will be turned into garlic scape pesto.

staubinn · June 29, 2015

I always thought you had to remove the scapes so the bulb itself would grow larger. What does everyone plant in the garlic patch after you harvest the garlic? I hate to just see the plot do nothing, but am not an experienced enough gardner to know what would have enough time to grow in my zone 5 yard.

Father'sDaughter · June 29, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by staubinn

I always thought you had to remove the scapes so the bulb itself would grow larger. What does everyone plant in the garlic patch after you harvest the garlic? I hate to just see the plot do nothing, but am not an experienced enough gardner to know what would have enough time to grow in my zone 5 yard.

I don't really care if removing the scapes helps the garlic or not, I only know that my family and I absolutely LOVE garlic scape pesto and to make it, you need to pick the scapes!😄😄😄

After the garlic is harvested, you can plant anything that will produce before first frost. I usually go with a second planting of things such as lettuce, zucchini, kale, bush beans, basil.

staubinn · June 30, 2015

Thanks, that does help. I have a rabbit family living nearby but garlic is one thing that they don't eat. If anyone knows what else will grow fast without being eaten up by hungry rabbits let me know. They even ate hobinaro peppers! Maybe was the woodchuck!

June 22, 2015	#1
Durgan Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Brantford, ON, Canada Posts: 1,341	Garlic Scapes http://www.durgan.org/URL/?JYAFL 14 June 2015 Garlic Scapes. The garlic is at the producing scape stage, which is the curly stem which produces bulbils at the end if allowed to mature.The scapes may be cut off and used at this stage. Also I don’t particularly enjoy the scapes in cookery. There is some reports that larger cloves form if the scapes are removed. I have encountered no evidence of this. I let the bulbils mature until the main bulb is harvested. Experience has indicated that larger cloves form if the cloves are allowed to mature until the skin of the bulbs just starts to burst. In other words storage time is increased, since the cloves can dry more thoroughly. Also shown in the pictures is two rows of elephant garlic, first time grown, and a row of bulbils planted in 2014.The crop will be harvested about the end of July.The main garlic is from my own saved bulbs from the 2014 crop. The elephant garlic was purchased from the supermarket.

June 23, 2015	#2
barefootgardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Michigan Zone 4b Posts: 1,291	Very nice picture Durgan. I have some scapes on my garlic. I was not sure if I wanted to snip off the scapes and just let them do their thing, or take some off to cook with. Since I have not cooked with scapes before, I am curious to how they flavor and enhance dishes. I might try just a few in a pasta dish.. Ginny Last edited by barefootgardener; June 23, 2015 at 03:03 PM.

June 30, 2015	#7
staubinn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: pa Posts: 5	garlic Thanks, that does help. I have a rabbit family living nearby but garlic is one thing that they don't eat. If anyone knows what else will grow fast without being eaten up by hungry rabbits let me know. They even ate hobinaro peppers! Maybe was the woodchuck! __________________

June 23, 2015	#3
Marcus1 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Colorado Posts: 124	I try to pull the scapes out if I plan on eating them. The light green stem that pulls out of the stalk is much more tender than the part that is out of the stalk, they can get pretty fibrous. We like to sauté them with some soy sauce. Had some on our hamburgers the other night, were quite tasty.

June 28, 2015	#4
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	Half of my scapes were harvested a week ago, and the remaining ones were picked yesterday. Later this week most will be turned into garlic scape pesto.

June 29, 2015	#5
staubinn Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2015 Location: pa Posts: 5	I always thought you had to remove the scapes so the bulb itself would grow larger. What does everyone plant in the garlic patch after you harvest the garlic? I hate to just see the plot do nothing, but am not an experienced enough gardner to know what would have enough time to grow in my zone 5 yard.