A garlicky new take on a classic comfort side dish!
Garlic scape season is well under way here in Alberta! We've seen some record breaking high temperatures this summer, which has brought the scapes on fast! The season is always a bit bittersweet to me - I'm (im)patiently waiting for the first taste of this year's garlic, but once we start picking it is pure chaos and I can't wait for it to slow down again!
Not sure what a garlic scape is? You are not alone! The very first year I grew garlic in my garden, I had to google what the strange curly sticks growing out of my plants were. Turns out they are the flowering part of a garlic plant and are completely edible! Picking the scapes allows the garlic plant to utilize it's energy into producing large bulbs instead of seeds, which for any garlic lover or farmer is the main goal!
In the four years since I planted my first cloves, my garlic crop has expanded from 150 plants to 900, and this year we are sitting near or around the 50,000 mark! That's a LOT of scapes! I feel as if they are slowly becoming more popular and a bit less "weird" to add in to a kitchen. They have a wonderful garlicky taste, but are more mild than the bulbs, and have an almost asparagus-like texture. They make wonderful pesto, pickles, or are great in this Brown Sugar and Bacon Scape recipe!
