One of the things I love about growing garlic is that you get two different harvests from them—the garlic, of course, but also the garlic scapes.
Backing up a bit—there are two types of garlic: hardneck and softneck. Hardneck is more weather resilient and can overwinter, so we plant it in the fall and it’s one of the first things to pop up in the spring. Hardneck garlic grows a thick flower stem, called a scape, that can be harvested and used in various recipes. (For more on the differences between hardneck and softneck garlic, I found this webpage informative.)
There are many ways to use garlic scapes, such as barbecuing them, turning them into pesto, and even a garlic scape jam that I want to try next year. I’m also currently attempting a fermented garlic scape hot sauce that I’ll post about when it’s done.
One of the easy crowd-pleasing scapes dishes is pickled scapes.
How to harvest garlic scapes
At a certain point in the life cycle of hardneck garlic, the plant will shoot out its flower stem. It gets really tall and then circles back in on itself, sometimes creating several circular loops. Toward the end there will be a bulb forming—this will eventually become garlic seeds.
Garlic scapes must be harvested before a flower forms on the scape. If the flower is allowed to form, the garlic bulbs will stop growing, but if you harvest the scape before the flower forms, the plant will refocus all its energy on growing the garlic bulbs.
There are two schools of thought on how best to harvest the scapes. One is to use scissors or a blade to cut it off at the base of the top leaves. The second is to grasp the stalk and tug the scape; theoretically, the scape will break further down inside the plant and you get a longer scape.
I normally cut them, but this year tried to tugging method. There was no difference; it broke at the spot I would have cut it. However, it meant I didn’t have a pair of scissors or a blade in one hand, meaning I could move a little quicker since I had two hands.
Once you’ve harvested them, it’s a good idea to give them a quick rinse to get rid of any dirt or insects clinging to the scapes.
Scapes can be stored in the fridge for up to a few weeks. However, their firmness does reduce over time, so if you like the crispiness of a fresh scape, it’s best to use them as soon as possible.
How to make pickled garlic scapes
There are different flavour variations for garlic scapes. Last year I did straight-up normal pickled scapes, and this year I did spicy pickled scapes. Both variations are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. An internet search can bring up a variety of recipes if you’re looking for a different spice combination.
The first step is to put the spices in the bottom of the jar.
Next, cut scapes to appropriate lengths and stuff them into jars. I generally find I’ll have jars of mostly straight scapes all standing upright, and jars where the curly scapes circle the inside of the jar and a handful of straight scapes will fill the centre void. I usually end up with lot of little bits of scapes from all the trimming, so I top off the jars with these. You can pack them in tightly.
The next step is to boil some brine, which is a combination of water, vinegar, salt, and sugar. Pour the brine into the jars, leaving a half inch of headspace. Wipe rims and put on lids.
If you’re refrigerator pickling these you can put them straight into the fridge. If you’re canning these, they can be processed for 10 minutes, adjusting for elevation as needed. Refrigerator pickling will result in crisper pickled scapes that are a brighter green and have a bit more of a flavour bite to them. Canning them will result in softer scapes that are a muted green and the bite of garlic will be a bit milder since they cook while processing and that reduces the flavour a bit, but canning them will give you a much longer shelf life. Regardless of which preserving method you use, give the scapes at least a few days to fully pickle before opening a jar and enjoying them.
Pickled Garlic Scapes
Equipment
- Canning Jars with Two-Part Lids, either 2x pint or 4x half pint sizes
- Water Bath Canning Pot, if canning
Ingredients
- ½ pound Garlic Scapes
Regular Pickled Garlic Scapes
- 1 ¼ cup Water
- 1 ¼ cup Vinegar, can be white, white wine, cider, or any vinegar as long as the acidity is 5% or greater
- 1 ½ Tbsp Canning Salt
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Mustard Seeds, 1 tsp per pint jar
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns, 1 tsp per pint jar
Spicy Pickled Garlic Scapes
- 1 ¼ cup Water
- 1 ¼ cup Vinegar, can be white, white wine, cider, or any vinegar as long as the acidity is 5% or greater
- 1 Tbsp Canning Salt
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes, 1 tsp per pint jar
- 2 tsp Black Peppercorns, 1 tsp per pint jar
Instructions
- Cut scapes to appropriate size and pack tightly in jars. Add spices directly to each jar (mustard and black peppercorns for regular scapes, red pepper flakes and black peppercorns for spicy scapes).
- Create brine by bringing water, vinegar, salt, sugar to a boil, dissolving sugar and salt.
- Add brine to jars, bringing up to ½ inch headspace. If you're short on brine, top up with vinegar. Wipe rims and put on two-part lids.
- For Refrigerator PicklesPut jars in the fridge and let sit for at least a few days before consuming.For Canned PicklesPut jars in a water bath canner filled with hot water, with the jars submerged by at least an inch of water. Bring to a boil and boil for 10 minutes. (Adjust for elevation as needed.) Remove canner from heat and let sit for five minutes. Remove jars using a jar lifter and let sit undisturbed overnight. If jars are properly sealed, then they can be stored in a cool dark place for up to a year before quality (but not safety) starts to degrade. If any jars did not properly seal, they should be put in the fridge and consumed first. Allow jars to sit for at least a few days before consuming.
I love the pics in this post. Everything looks great! ❤️
Thank you! They’re tasty, too!
I’ve always been amazed at how much of a plant can be used! Nature is wonderful. Also loved the pics.
Thank you!