Hello from the field! I've been hard at work prepping beds, planting and dreaming about the summer season still yet to come.

One of the most rewarding crops on the farm is garlic. Maybe because it takes so long to mature (9 months), but also because you get three versions of the crop depending on the growth stage of the plant: green garlic, scapes, and the bulb. And right now the scapes are scapin'!

What are scapes?

Scapes are tender shoots that grow up from the garlic plant. If left unharvested, the bulb at the end will eventually flower and bloom. But picking the scape before it flowers helps the plant focus energy into the bulb in the ground. It's good practice to snap off the scapes so that the plants can produce nice big garlic cloves, and also because they are so delicious to eat.

Uses:

Most people grill garlic scapes whole, which you can eat like asparagus. It's also very popular to make pesto out of scapes since they have a mild, not too strong garlicky flavor. I usually chop them up and sauté them in a stir fry, omelet, or whatever else I'm cooking.

I gifted some scapes to a friend who used them to make chimicurri! How fun! (recipe here)

Garlic scapes are whimsical, each with their own unique curly-q shape, and often not found in the grocery store, so I encourage you to try this seasonal item while you can! Let me know if you'd like to purchase garlic scapes by replying to this email. Free delivery from the farmer herself.

Thanks for reading,

Blair