Get them while you can - garlic scapes are in season but only for a short time

It seems everyone is raving about garlic scapes these days.  They can be sautéed or roasted, usually in a little virgin olive oil with salt and pepper until they are a bit crispy.  They are great as a side or tossed on a salad.  I have also heard of people pickling the garlic scapes in a brine and I thought it was worth giving it a try.  As a pickle, they are a new vegetable for me to add to my canning routine.  I have pickled garlic cloves in the past and they were amazing so I figured these would be as well.  You won’t find garlic scapes at the grocery store, so you will have to go looking for them at your local farmer’s market.  I found mine this past Saturday at the St. Albert Farmer’s Market in central Alberta.  Now is the time to be looking because they are only in season for about 3 weeks.   Check out our recipe for pickled garlic scapes under the canning section and try out the garlic scape pesto, found under cooking recipes.

Fresh garlic scapes are coiled and curled when cut from the garlic root