Despite the cold spring here in the Pacific Northwest, the garlic has been thriving! We got everything weeded over the weekend and thoroughly watered. You can almost feel them reaching upward, waiting for that promised sunshine!
As you can see from the photos, I planted the garlic rather densely in beds (4 rows/bed) this year, which has really facilitated the weeding, fertilizing, & watering tasks! The picture in the lower right quadrant shows 2 plots in the background that were recently tilled under — I had grown a green manure crop of a combination of clover, vetch, and ryegrass; I will be planting them again soon with more of the same; these will be garlic beds for next year and 2010. Yes, those are the Olympic Mountains in the background. Gorgeous morning!
Also pictured are the tall spikes, often called “spears” of the elephant garlic. The hardneck varieties send smaller shoots, called “scapes”; pictured are the tight-curling scapes of the rocambole hardnecks. I have been cutting these off (yes! you can have some if you are in the neighborhood!) and using them in pestos, salad dressings, & stir fries. They also add an unusual touch to floral arrangements. I am making some garlic hummus to bring to a barbecue this weekend, and am thinking about how the scapes might be quite beautiful pickled in a jar! Mmm!
I figure bulb harvesting is about a month or so away (a little late this year). I may get one more watering in, but will stop the water after that, which will help prevent molds and extend the shelf-life of the bulbs.
We might hit 70 today when the official summer starts at 4:30 today! That is welcome news for those of us who have been wearing sweatshirts all spring! Celebrate the solstice!
(visit my official garlic website at http://barbolian.com)
2 responses so far ↓
Lynn // June 30, 2009 at 12:36 am |
How do you use the scapes? Do you chop up the whole length of the scape. I suppose you could process in food processor, or is that a no-no?
blythelight // June 30, 2009 at 5:32 am |
Hi Lynn! Great question! A lot of people ask me that. Here’s some info that I hope will help.
The scapes are brittle when fresh and snap easily off the stalk. They keep a long time in the fridge and are still good even if they have lost some of that snappability. It’s not always easy to line those curly-qs up in lines like stalks of asparagus – but unless you are grilling them whole, you will probably want to slice them in pieces. Depending on variety and age, the scape may be slender or thick, tender or fibrous. I have found that the bulb at the tip that turns into a flower and also the bottom of the stalk can be quite tough–I often cut these parts off and feed them to my worms.
Some of the best pesto I have ever made has been by tossing the stalks in the blender with a bunch of parsley, some lemon juice, olive oil, & walnuts. Parmesan cheese was easier to add after taking the mix out of the blender. A good blender will chop up the flower tips & tougher ends, too – but again, that’s a matter of preference.
Try finely slicing the scapes and mixing them with cream cheese & sour cream or plain yogurt for a great dip. Soften some butter and mix them in; put the butter in a roll on waxed paper (chill it a bit to be able to shape it), and then roll it in a log for a seasoned butter to be used on just about everything, including garlic bread. Because they are so mild, they are easy to eat raw. If you cook them, do so lightly to keep their delicate flavor. They are great tossed in at the last minute into soups, stir fries, quiches & scrambled eggs. New potatoes, peas, & scapes … yum! Chopped with chives on baked potatoes. Chopped with olives and sun-dried tomatoes on thin toasted slices of baguettes (with wine or a cold beer, please, and a little fancy cheese on the side!). Mixed in potato salad. Macaroni salad. Topped on fish with a slice of lemon. Mixed with green onions in rice. With any kind of pasta and in any kind of sauce that goes on it. Just scapes & olive oil on pasta sprinkled with a little Parmesan is simple and simply fantastic. On pizza. On a tortilla with cheese. Did I mention hummus? Blender them up with a little vinegar and oil for a salad dressing. Slice them, dice them, chop them, blender them, grill them whole … use them any way you would use garlic or onions or both. Plain or fancy.
Once you get into them, you will wonder how you lived without them. You will look forward to them like the first crocus and the first stalks of asparagus. The best way to supply your addiction is to grow your own. Believe me … I am up to 1300 bulbs and counting….
You can find more on my regular website: http://www.barbolian.com.
And thanks for checking in and giving me an opportunity to expound profusely on my love of scapes!