Before last year, I had not heard of garlic scapes, let alone eaten one.  But I have been anxiously waiting for them this year.  A garlic scape is the flower that the bulb forces up during its growing season.  It’s common to pick this flower before it opens so the plant can concentrate on the bulb.  Sad to say, many just throw this part out.  In other countries, the scape has long been considered a delicacy.  It is now showing up in this part of the world as a useful part of the plant as well.   If picked young enough, the scape is mild and delicate, perfect for a quick saute in butter or olive oil.  But don’t take my word for it, check out some of these yummy recipes! 

Mother Earth News (our very favorite magazine) was where we originally learned about garlic scapes.  They have a fantastic recipe here.

Here is another recipe I found for garlic scape pesto and they also include a recipe for a yummy spinach frittata.  We started spinach this year and never had any of it come up.  Bad seeds?  Ants?  Who knows, but we’ll have to shop the farmer’s market this week so we can try this. 

We are always excited when we come up with new ways to utilize what would normally be waste.  Luckily, this way is oh so delicious!!!

~Kelly