These unsung curly green stalks are great in stir frys, on salads, or made into pesto.
We get it . Rampsare really undecomposed . But there ’s another allium out there that deserves adequate aid : the garlic flower stalk . And unlike the ramp , which , in its wild state , can suffer from overharvesting , the garlic scape is actually a spin-off of hardneck garlic that just so materialise to be a standout delight on its own .
“ Garlic scapes are a kickshaw that most people have n’t try , ” says Kevin Espiritu , founder ofEpic Gardening , an on-line resource for at - home plate horticulture . “ And they ’re best fresh from the garden , because they do n’t store well and need to be used within 48 hours of harvest for the best penchant and texture . ”
What exactly are garlic scapes?
Garlic scapes are the shoots or stem that grow straight out of a hardneck garlic flora . These stem form an umbel , or bulb , that eventually produces flowers . The scapes are harvest in late spring and other summer , a few weeks before the actual garlic is harvested .
Though they have n’t quite encounter their claim to fame in the U.S. , garlic scapes are much more omnipresent in various function of Asia . “ They ’re a highly pop veggie in Korea , ” says Hyosun Ro , the blogger behindKorean Bapsang . “ Koreans eat a mess of ail , so there ’s a lot of garlic being grow . ”
The harvest home of garlic scapes is particularly interesting , because removing the fore from the works actually creates better - tasting garlic . “ When you grow garlic , you do n’t require the garlic industrial plant to expend Department of Energy on bring on flowers , right ? ” Ro explains . Once removed , the chief garlic bulb becomes the snapper of attention .
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What do garlic scapes taste like?
But the scape is far from a cam stroke - away . These green , Medusa - like coil have a soft garlic look — not as pungent as the bulb , but still quite peppery , earthy , and nutty . Ro compares their texture to a thin Asparagus officinales , though more bouncy and easily bendable . Garlic flower stalk are rich in Vitamins A and C , as well as fibre and antioxidant .
How to get your hands on them
If you happen to be harvesting ail at home , Espiritu advocate blame the scapes once a complete curl in the stem has formed . “ However , they can be harvest as shortly as you’re able to see the onion - like prime head and as far out as 3 - 4 gyre of the bow , ” he pronounce . “ To glean , you tailor at the base of the stem turn where it comes out of the independent stalk . ”
If you ’re look to buy your garlic shaft , your serious bet is aKorean food market storeor a farmer ’s grocery . “ But I sometimes see them appear at American grocers , like Whole Foods , at the peak of the time of year , ” Ro adds . So verify to stock up once you discern them .
You ’ll want to look for extra - unripe scape — not yellow , which usually indicate they ’ve sat out for too long and are not as invigorated . And the thinner , the better , “ because thin usually means tender , ” Ro says . If go on in the electric refrigerator , your scape can last for a week or two .
Photo courtesy of Hyosun Ro
How to incorporate garlic scapes in recipes
If you happen upon some bid scape , you’re able to feed them in the altogether , in the same way you would chives or scallions , for a stronger taste . But Ro explain that , once you accomplish the final stage of the time of year , the scapes lean to get a bit more ruffianly , so it ’s best to cook them .
In Korea , you ’ll likely find garlic scapes stir - fried , or merely blench and flavour with gochujang . Ro wish to arouse - fry her garlic scape with walnuts for aquick and easy banchan , while Espiritu incorporates them in just about any meal .
“ You start by cutting them into unripened bean plant sized length , then bathe them in salted stewing water for 1 - 2 minutes , ” he says . “ give them into a hot pan with fossil oil and cook for a few arcminute , stirring a pile , and pull them out when they are a fiddling caramelise . They can be eaten unvarnished , added to a salad , or used as a bed for core . ”
Ro also enjoys grinding the scapes up to make a pesto , or tossing them intoa childlike brineof acetum , soy sauce , carbohydrate , and H2O . “ Before the season is over , I by all odds verify to pickle my garlic flower stalk , ” she enjoin . They ’re just too unspoiled to not have yr - round .
