Image courtesy of Cedar Circle Farm

Welcome to the newest installment of Serving Suggestions.  This week we’ll be tackling… garlic scapes.  Garlic scapes may be a difficult ingredient for CSA members to use since it’s not something you regularly see at the supermarket.  Bob found himself wondering what exactly a garlic scape is so he did some quick research and found this helpful description from Cedar Circle Farm:

Garlic scapes are the flower bud of the garlic plant. The bud is removed in late June to encourage the bulbs to thicken up.

Scape newbies may also be unsure how to store them.  Cedar Circle offers these tips to get the longest life out of your garlic scapes:

Garlic scapes keep well in a plastic bag in the fridge for two to three weeks. They will keep for a few days (and will look beautiful) in a glass with a little cool water in it, on the counter in a cool room. Change water daily.

Once you’re ready to cook with them, Shana suggests trying a pesto:

I love garlic scapes and thought they’d make a great pesto with all the greens we’ve been getting.  Lo and behold, if you google it, there are several recipes already out there for it!  I am substituting the basil with the spinach and arugula since we have so much. Pesto also freezes really well.  Here are a few I found from NY Times Cooking and Epicurious.  Happy cooking!

That’s all for this week, check back again soon for more Serving Suggestions!

Serving Suggestions is a recurring article that will be posted weekly during the CSA season featuring photos, tips and recipes. Content is provided by Jessica, Shana and Bob. If you would like to submit your own photos or recipes, please email Bob at robertfcowper@gmail.com. To read through previous Serving Suggestions articles, click here for an archive. You can also use the handy search feature at the top of the right hand menu bar to search for the name of a particular ingredient you need help using.