Garlic Scapes

Getting our CSA delivery every week is a bit of an adventure. There's the usual variety of produce you'd expect to get this time of year in central Illinois, of course.

But there's often an item or two that I've never tried before—and, as was the case with the husk cherries from last year, sometimes that I've never even heard of before.

A few weeks ago, our weekly allotment included garlic scapes. Sure, I've used and am a big fan of garlic. But garlic scapes? That was a new one for me.

The scape is the curling top of the garlic plant that shoots up from the ground while the garlic is busy growing below. Cutting the scape off helps the garlic keep growing—and it just so happens that it's edible, too.

I've learned you can do all sorts of things with the shoots. Saute them, for instance. Or chop them up and add them to just about any savory dish you're making.

I tried making garlic scape pesto with mine. It has a nice, light garlic flavor. Not as yummy as my old favorite basil pesto, but it's pretty darn good nonetheless.