Dining in the moment: Enjoying Spring Garlic Scapes

The garlic scape is the green shoot that grows from the developing garlic bulb underground. This soft shoot pokes its head from the ground and curls in a pig-tail manner before straightening and hardening as the season progresses and the garlic bulb grows. The scape has a texture similar to asparagus and combines a mild garlic flavor with flavors of earthy grass. They are harvested for only a short time in early to mid-June. If you are eating scapes you are not only eating seasonally, but you are eating in the moment.

First CSA share of the season. With garlic scapes!

Choosing seasonal and local produce helps me eat the best tasting and nutritious food available. It is better for me, the farmer and the environment. This weekend I was excited to pick up my first CSA share of the season that included a mix of veggies for my family to enjoy this week. I get mine from Blue Yonder Organic Farm at the Carmel Farmer's Market. To my delight I found two bunches of beautiful curlicue garlic scapes in my bag.

This is how I celebrated my bounty:

Lemony Garlic Scape Pesto

Garlic scapes can vary in their intensity of garlic flavor. If you like a pungent garlic flavor use the scape raw. If you prefer a milder, more mellow garlic flavor, blanch the scapes as described below.

Author: Erica Leazenby, MD

Yields: about 2 cups

Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

8-10 garlic scapes

1/3 cup walnuts

½ lemon, juice and zest

½- ¾ cup olive oil

generous pinch salt

pepper to taste

Directions:

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Blanch the scapes by submersing them in the boiling water for about 30 seconds. Remove the scapes and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.

Place the scapes, walnuts, lemon, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend for several minutes until the mixture is well minced.

Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while the food processor is running until the desired consistency is reached.

Taste and season with additional salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed.

We enjoyed ours immediately with fresh cut potatoes and grilled trout. It will also freeze well so that you can enjoy Spring flavors later in the year.