Garlic Scapes

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blissful

Master Chef
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
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It's the end of the 2 week season of garlic scapes for our region. They grow for 2 weeks in June, we snip them off.

I gave them a good washing to remove any garden dust, then snipped them with a kitchen scissors into 1 inch to 1 and 1/2 inch pieces. Sauteed them in olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, then they needed some water to steam them for about 10 minutes, finished them with a little butter.

They were delicious, a gentle bit of garlic flavor, texture like asparagus. Note: clip off the green that comes out of the flower part, it has the texture of fibrous grass. The stem and flower parts are very good. This would be excellent, with shrimp or scallops.

wScapesCooking.jpg
 
Good to know. I have given up trying to cook them because I thought the whole scape was fibrous. I cut mine before the stage pictured here. Maybe that's the problem. I cut them when the scapes first appear with not much flower formation yet. Too late this year, they went on the compost pile weeks ago.
 
Bethzaring, Let's say the stem is 10 inches and the flower part is 3-5 inches, the beginnings of the stem can be fibrous and the tip of the flower can be fibrous. The tender portion seems to be the 6 inches of stem before the flower, and the flower part. I imagine it is like asparagus, the taller it gets, the more fibrous the stem towards the bottom.
 
Good to know but too late to help me this year. I nipped off all the flowers weeks ago to send the nutrients the bulbs. I wish I'd known to cook them but I didn't.
 
Larry, I've never read any definitive studies linking cutting the scapes to an increased size of the bulb. Most people do cut the scapes and cite that the garlic will put its energy into making a bigger bulb. I haven't run across literature of studies of it. I grow between 1200 and 2000 bulbs a year and I couldn't tell you one way or the other.
 
Cutting the scape (flower stalk), as distinct from the leaves, does increase the size of the bulb. If the scape is allowed to grow, the plant will put its energy into developing seeds instead of the bulb. The leaves are still needed for bulb growth because they conduct photosynthesis.

From http://extension.psu.edu/business/ag-alternatives/horticulture/vegetables/garlic-production

Retail customers pay premium prices for large garlic bulbs. To meet this demand a grower must remove the scape (flower stalk) as soon as it is visible. If the scape is allowed to develop it will compete with the bulb for nutrients, resulting in a reduction in bulb size and quality.
 
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University/college extension services are excellent sources of information. Thanks GotGarlic.
 
Thanks! We've been working 5 garden areas pretty consistently these past few years.

I just wanted to point out that a master gardener has qualifications. Course work and training, volunteer hours, testing/exams for certification, ongoing volunteer hours and education in subsequent years, all according to the particular university/college extension service requirements. I think that all that gives a master gardener a well rounded view of gardening and more experience. It's impressive!
 
Thanks so much, blissful! We have quite an admiration society going here! ;)

Working the help desk is one of my favorite ways to volunteer. I always learn something new when people bring in a plant or bug problem.
 
GotGarlic, I know another master gardener in Wisconsin. They are the most helpful informative friendly people I know! Our garlic will be harvested in the next 2-3 weeks, we have 4 kinds this year. I bet you have 'gotgarlic' too!
 
GotGarlic, I know another master gardener in Wisconsin. They are the most helpful informative friendly people I know! Our garlic will be harvested in the next 2-3 weeks, we have 4 kinds this year. I bet you have 'gotgarlic' too!

I do, but I live on a small city lot, so not a lot of space for it. I plant it whenever it sprouts in the kitchen. Right now, I have about 10 heads curing. It's clearly not enough to feed my habit :LOL:
 
I recently took care of a Master Gardener...he was thrilled to help us with our garden questions.

Next summer we are getting a vegetable garden going over at Mom's, I want to grow our own garlic. Any tips?
 
I recently took care of a Master Gardener...he was thrilled to help us with our garden questions.

Next summer we are getting a vegetable garden going over at Mom's, I want to grow our own garlic. Any tips?

My knowledge is specific to zone 8 ;) Here's info from Wyoming's extension service. Looks like it's a fall-planting crop, even there. You can plant it in containers, since it doesn't grow very deep.

General: Gardening | Resources | Barnyards & Backyards | University of Wyoming

Garlic (PDF): Garlic puts fall gusto in your garden, summer zest in kitchen
 
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