Garlic Scape Pesto | How To Use Garlic Scapes
Garlic scapes are one of the many under-used and under-appreciated plant parts. They are packed with flavour, nutrients, and are very versatile. I’m going to show you how to use garlic scapes by making garlic scape pesto!
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I love having a stock of pesto on hand and this garlic scape pesto adds the perfect garlic punch. Personally, I don’t think you can have too much garlic which makes this pesto perfect.
What Are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic scapes are the green, curly flower stalks that grow from the bulbs of hard-neck garlic plants. These shoots are typically harvested in late spring or early summer, before the flowers bloom, to encourage the garlic bulb to grow larger. Garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavour and can be used in a variety of ways. They can be chopped and added to salads, stir-fry, pesto, and soups, or grilled and roasted as a tasty side dish. Scapes are tasty, versatile, and offer a unique way to enjoy garlic beyond the traditional bulb.
Why Garlic is The Best
If you’re like us, you’ve planted garlic in excess and that is why you have so many garlic scapes. But beyond it’s incredible flavour is a bounty of health benefits!
Garlic is a nutritional powerhouse, making it a valuable addition to any diet. It boosts the immune system, helping the body ward off illnesses and infections. Garlic also supports heart health by reducing blood pressure and improving cholesterol levels. Its rich antioxidant content protects against oxidative damage, while its anti-inflammatory properties can help reduce inflammation. Additionally, garlic can enhance athletic performance, detoxify heavy metals, and even support bone health by increasing estrogen levels in women. Incorporating garlic into meals, whether raw or cooked, can significantly contribute to overall well-being.
Garlic scapes have some similar health benefits but are not as potent as garlic.
How To Harvest Garlic Scapes
Harvesting garlic scapes is simple and benefits both the garlic plant and you. Typically appearing in late spring or early summer, scapes are the central stalks with a bud that will form a flower. When they form one or two loops, use sharp scissors or garden shears to cut them about 1/4 inch above the highest set of leaves. Regularly check and harvest the scapes to encourage the garlic plant to focus on growing larger bulbs.
Store the harvested scapes in the refrigerator, where they can stay fresh for up to three weeks.
What To Do With Garlic Scapes
When you have so many garlic scapes, it’s hard to know what to do with them all. Luckily, they can stay fresh for up to three weeks in the fridge until you figure it out.
Garlic scape pesto might be my favourite way of preserving garlic scapes. But you can also make:
- Pickled garlic scapes
- Dehydrated garlic scape powder
- Roasted or sautéed garlic scapes.
How To Use Garlic Scape Pesto
You can use garlic scape pesto any time you would use regular pesto!
Pesto pasta is a great meal to use garlic scape pesto in. You can also make a garlic scape pesto mayo for sandwiches or use it as is for a spread. You can make a garlic pesto pizza sauce for homemade pizza night! It can be used in salad dressing, marinades, or dip. You can incorporate into baked goods like rolls or muffins. Or, use it in scrambled eggs for green eggs and ham! The possibilities are endless.
What You’ll Need
Food Processor: To blend everything together
Cookie Sheet: For freezing pesto balls
Parchment Paper: For keeping pesto balls from sticking
Medium-Sized Cookie Scoop: For scooping pesto balls, I love the OXO brand.
Ingredients For Garlic Scape Pesto
Garlic Scapes: The best way to get garlic scapes is by growing them yourself but I’m sure you can find them at the farmers market or from a neighbour that doesn’t want them.
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil as well but I wouldn’t go into seed oil territory.
Walnuts: Pine nuts are traditional for pesto but they’re the cost of gold and walnuts are just as creamy and delicious.
Parmesan: Cheese is a must to cut the punch of the garlic scapes. We used parmesan but you can use other hard aged cheese like Romano or Grana Padano.
Lemon: Fresh lemon is essential.
Basil: You can omit if you want but it balances the flavours out nicely.
Salt: Any salt you have is great.
Pepper: We used ground black pepper. Freshly cracked black pepper would be divine.
How To Make Garlic Scape Pesto
Harvest and rinse your garlic scapes.
Remove the woody end and seedy pod top. You’ll know where to split because they snap easily.
Add the scapes to the food processor and blend until a coarse paste is formed.
Add all of the other ingredients.
Blend until you’ve reached the consistency of pesto.
Taste test in between blends to adjust the flavour to your preference.
Once you have the flavour you like, you can make frozen pesto balls or store in the fridge.
For frozen pesto balls, grab your cookie tray and line it with parchment paper.
Use the cookie scoop and scoop balls onto the tray. It should be stiff enough to hold itself up.
Once you’ve scooped all of your pesto into balls, place the tray in the freezer.
Once frozen, remove from the tray and store the pesto balls in a bag in the freezer.
Pull pesto balls as needed!
Notes
You can use the garlic scape seed pod tops if they’re still tender; just trim off the grassy tips. We opted not to use the seedy tops for this recipe.
If the pesto tastes too zingy for your liking, you can mellow it out by adding more parmesan or walnuts. The pesto will always have a bit of a zing since it’s primarily made from garlic scapes, but true garlic lovers will appreciate the bold flavor.
This recipe makes a large batch, so we recommend freezing it in small portions for convenience. However, if you go through pesto quickly, you can skip the freezing step and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. It should keep for about a week.
If you don’t have a huge amount of garlic scapes, feel free to halve the recipe. It’ll turn out just as delicious!
Watch Us Make It!
Garlic Scape Pesto
Ingredients
- 35 Garlic Scapes tops & ends removed
- 1 Cup Olive Oil
- 1 Cup Walnuts
- 1 Cup Parmesan
- 1 Juiced Lemon
- 1 Cup Basil
- 2 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
- Harvest and rinse your garlic scapes.
- Remove the woody end and seedy pod top. You'll know where to split because they snap easily.
- Add the scapes to the food processor and blend until a coarse paste is formed.
- Add all of the other ingredients.
- Blend until you've reached the consistency of pesto.
- Taste test in between blends to adjust the flavour to your preference.
- Once you have the flavour you like, you can make frozen pesto balls or store in the fridge.
- For frozen pesto balls, grab your cookie tray and line it with parchment paper.
- Use the cookie scoop and scoop balls onto the tray. It should be stiff enough to hold itself up.
- Once you've scooped all of your pesto into balls, place the tray in the freezer.
- Once frozen, remove from the tray and store the pesto balls in a bag in the freezer.
- Pull pesto balls as needed!
Notes
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