This time of year, just before your garlic is ready to pull is the perfect time to harvest garlic scapes and make some delicious garlic scape compound butter!
Garlic is seriously the best thing I can grow in my garden! There are literally so many different ways to us it and in varying stages of it’s growth is the best time to maximize it’s functions.
If you’re new to the garlic situation here’s the DL about When to Harvest Garlic, How to Store and Braid your Garlic, and even how to Make Garlic Powder! The possibilities are endless when you figure out How to Grow Garlic!
A scape is the botanical term for the floral part of the garlic. These are the curly part of the garlic stalk- see below photo. If you would leave the scapes on, the plant would focus its energy on the flower and the garlic bulb will be very small.
If scapes are not removed when garlic is grown in poor soil, total bulb production can be reduces by up to 30% In good soil, but production is only limited by about 5%.
Clipping a scape before the garlic blooms can do two things at once. One, you get to create something like this delicious garlic scape compound butter and two, you are helping the garlic focus on growing a larger bulb, under the ground.
In the past, I have loved bringing in the garlic flowers to add to my arrangements in the kitchen. It’s just such a lovely ‘gardeny’ smell especially when added with a few stems of dill and some rosemary!
The past few years, I have been snipping the scapes off mid-to late June just before they send a blossom up to use in a delicious herb infused butter.
Once it’s frozen, we bring it to the refrigerator. Once in the refrigerator, we will cut off what we need. It will last in the refrigerator as long as your regular butter will.
You can all all sorts of things, pretty much the only thing I would not add to butter is fruit ;). Go wild! You can add every single herb you can find, if you like!
Add it to a pasta dish, the top of a steak (try out this Cast Iron Steak and Smashed Potatoes recipe), fish, your spaghetti dish, spread it on your toast/ bread, potatoes or other veggies.
Cut them up similar to asparagus and grill them and add them as a summer side dish!
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Emily T.
DAILY INSPIRATION ON THE GRAM @hearty.sol
it's hip to be square!
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