Scapes!
 

I love it when the scapes come in and I get that fresh hint of what is yet to come!

Excellent! I'm harvesting a bunch after work today...

Looking good!

I'm about a week or two away from a fresh batch of scape pesto.

I added my freshly cut scapes to the collard greens I cooked last night in my Instant Pot (pressure cooker). I think that's the only way I want to cook them now, they were sooo good.

I whipped up some scape pesto, using cashews. I love the stuff, until I get sick of it. Takes about 2 weeks of steady, daily eating. Then I make more and freeze it.

Thanks for the pesto idea. I should be getting scapes soon. I should be getting a good
amount and always need freezer ideas.

[QUOTE=ako1974;646009]I whipped up some scape pesto, using cashews. I love the stuff, until I get sick of it. Takes about 2 weeks of steady, daily eating. Then I make more and freeze it.[/QUOTE]



I just wait until I've harvested all my scapes, then spend a day turning them all into pesto and freezing it in 1 cup batches. Thankfully scapes will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of months.

I need to make better use of my scapes. Chopping and freezing didn't give me a winter long vegetable... maybe I should blanch. :?!?: I just love them in stir fries so much. :love: Finer diced a great pizza topping too.
Well I'm not sure when to expect them this year. We are having such a late spring but the garlic was the first thing up and growing as soon as snow came off the beds.:?!?: It would be awesome to get a batch of scapes in mid August as my bro is getting married and I know his bride ( a chef) would LOVE to have scapes to play with on the big day. :)
In fact I think I have a good chance of it, because an extra bed of Spanish Roja which scapes later... either one or the other! That would be great! :D
Needless to say our garlic is way later than you guys - I have harvested garlic in September one late year! So scapes in august is not out of the question...

Bower, have you ever tried replacing the tomato sauce on a pizza with a smear of scape pesto? Talk about heavenly!!

I admit I haven't tried scape pesto yet. Shortage of nuts! :lol::bummer: But I have done pizza with a garlic/oil/rosemary/parmesan and chopped nuts instead of tomato. :love: That was some years ago though, in the days before soooo many tomatoes. ;)
The scapes are very mild to me... in a stir fry, they make a great substitute for green beans (which are waaay harder to grow here). But in general we do lean toward strong garlic flavors in our food, lots of it. :yes: So I imagine scape pesto would be mild by comparison to what we usually go for. :?!?:
I can't believe I'm at the point of looking for substitutes for tomatoes. :cry: (Yes I still have a few bags of em in the freezer) :?:

I find my scapes have a ton of heat to them. Maybe different varieties???

I will top my dough with the pesto, then add dollops of ricotta to knock the heat down a bit.

And now I'm craving pizza...

Yes, could be varieties? Or perhaps it is climate? :?!?: I noticed that my two porcelains had a different scape taste - the Music had more of an oniony aftertaste while the Argentina were garlicky and definitely hotter.
Truth is I often cook them briefly, as in stir fry or mixed vegs, so perhaps I need to experiment more with the raw. :yes:

This is my first year growing garlic.. I'm looking forward to trying scapes. Do I just cut a few of them or should I harvest all the scapes?

When do you harvest the scapes? Last year was my first and I obviously waited too long for many of them because they were woody and got thrown away. I read somewhere that they are best very early, when they are only about 4-6" long and well before they start to curl. But it seems most photos are of the larger curling scapes. I have my first 2 or 3 curling now and a couple in that 4-6" range, but most have not come up yet, so now is the time to find out. :)

Harvest the scape off every plant. I harvest just as they start to curl. We roast them in the oven as a once a year extra special treat!!!!