Garlic Scapes: A Fleeting Treasure & the Perfect Pesto

Garlic scape season is here!
These whimsical, curly green stalks are the flowering shoots of garlic plants. We harvest them early so the energy goes into growing a big, beautiful bulb below. But while they’re here, they’re one of the tastiest short-season treats from the garden. Think of garlic scapes as garlic’s milder, greener cousin, like a cross between green onions and fresh garlic, with a lot of personality.

We dry them and mix them with our dried parsley and salt to make our Farmstead Salt Seasoning Blend.  Great to sprinkle on pasta, eggs, chili, or anything you would sprinkle salt and garlic on. 
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If you’ve never tried them, start with this quick pesto recipe. It’s bright, peppery, and versatile delicious tossed with pasta, spread on toast, spooned over grilled veggies, or swirled into soups. And of course, we finish ours with a dash of our house-made Mid Summer Heat chili oil for a little farm-grown fire.

🌿 Garlic Scape Pesto with a Kick
You’ll need:

• 5 garlic scapes (chopped into small pieces without flower heads)
• A generous handful of fresh spinach (or any greens you love)
• Juice of ½ a lemon
• ¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds, or nuts of choice)
  Traditional recipes use pine nuts, but in this economy?!?  I made extra seeds to add to the pasta for some crunch.
• ⅓ cup olive oil (plus more if needed)
• A pinch of salt
• A dash of Mid Summer Heat (more if you like a bold kick!)

Directions:

1. Add scapes, spinach, lemon juice, and seeds to a food processor or blender.
2. Pulse until everything is broken down.
3. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blending until smooth.
4. Add salt to taste and finish with a splash of Mid Summer Heat to awaken all the flavors.

Store in a jar in the fridge for up to a week, or freeze in small batches to enjoy long after scape season is over.

photo by Oleg Gapeenko