Garlic Scapes: Storage and Cooking Tips

Garlic harvest is coming soon to the farm! How do we know this? Our hardneck garlic plants are sending up their flower stalks, known as garlic scapes.

In order to encourage the garlic plant to put all its energy into growing an amazing garlic bulb instead of its flower, we remove the scapes from the plant this time of year. And then we eat them!

One thing I love about garlic scapes is how they help me out in the 2-month window after my hardneck garlic store is used up and before the next garlic crop is cured and ready to go. Instead of buying softneck garlic from the grocery store, I use garlic scapes as a replacement.

Garlic scapes are milder in flavor than garlic, so if a recipe calls for one clove of garlic, use an entire scape instead. I usually chop or slice the garlic scape for use in stir fry, soup base, pizza topping, and the list goes on–anywhere you’d used a minced or sliced garlic clove.

You can also saute or grill the scapes whole, same as you would for thin asparagus stalks.

Garlic scapes store best in an airtight bag or container in the fridge, where they’ll last 2-3 weeks.

Have you cooked with garlic scapes before? If so, share in the comments section how you like to use them!