How to Cook with Garlic Scapes

Grab these curly green stalks before they're gone. But be careful—they've got a bite to them.
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Every June, when garlic scapes hit the farmers market, I get giddy. The whirly, twirly stalks that grow out of the bulbs of garlic plants are an early summer treat. Though they can be left on the plant to eventually bloom into flowers, harvesting them allows for the plant to take the energy that would be used for the flowers and instead use it to grown a bigger, more flavorful bulb. Not everyone feels this way, though. Instead of feeling excitement about this produce's arrival at the farmer's market, you might puzzle of the curly green things, wondering how to cook with garlic scapes. No fear. We've got you covered when it comes to what to do with garlic scapes, including plenty of garlic scape recipes, of course.

1. What to Do with Garlic Scapes to Tame Their Punch

The first thing to understand about garlic scapes is that their garlicky punch can be a little be too pungent for some. Want proof? Though my boyfriend and I both gobbled up the pasta we tossed with scape pesto for dinner last week, after dinner, he carefully begged that we "take the next few nights off from the powerful stuff."

Luckily, there's an easy way to learn how to cook garlic scapes so you won't have to brush your teeth three times after eating them. (Yes, that happened, and even still, the pervasive flavor lingered.)

"The best way to tame their bite is to blanch them," says our Food Editor, Rhoda Boone. "They become milder and sweeter when cooked. Just put them in salted boiling water for about 30 seconds then remove and place into an ice bath to stop the cooking." From there you can use them as planned.

2. How to Use Garlic Scapes

Garlic scapes are grassy and garlicky in flavor, so can they be swapped out for garlic cloves in recipes. But that's really just the beginning. It would be a shame not to let their unique flavor stand all on its own. Garlic scapes can enjoyed all on their own, or used in a number of recipes that allow them to shine. Here are my favorite garlic scape recipes:

1. Make Pesto

Whirl garlic scapes into pesto and use it on everything from pizza to sandwiches to pasta or even an marinade for chicken.

2. Make that Pesto Into a Yogurt Sauce

For an easy dip for vegetables or crackers, or a sauce you can use in a myriad of ways mix that pesto with yogurt.

3. Grill the Garlic Scapes

A simple way to cook garlic scapes that let's them shine as the center of attention is to throw them on the grill until they're nice and charred. Then finish them with a drizzle of lemon juice. Boom, enjoy them with whatever protein you're grilling as a stunner of a side dish.

4. Put them in Salad Dressing

Whisk a finely chopped garlic scape into your homemade salad dressing. The grassy, garlicky flavor will shine on your favorite green

5. Put them in a Frittata or Scrambled Eggs

Chop them up finely, sauté, and add to scrambled eggs or a frittata.

6. Put Garlic Scapes in Your Hummus

Swap out garlic cloves for a few stalks of garlic scapes when making hummus.

7. Make Garlic Scape Butter

Make compound butter by mixing minced scapes into softened butter. Then but this compound butter on steaks and crusty bread galore.

8. Saute the Scapes

Sauté your scapes in lots of oil and then use the infused oil—as well as the scapes as a topping for pizza or meat, or really anything you can think of.

Now that you know how to cook with garlic scapes, head to the farmer's market and grab a bunch for pasta with garlic-scape pesto!