Are my shallots bolting?

[Jimny14]

Are the redder bits the starts of flowers? Have never grown shallots before.

[veggiechicken]

Yes, looks like bolting.
Nip off the flower heads.

Someone who knows better will be along soon

[Snoop Puss]

Is that shallots or garlic?

[ameno]

Those are garlic, not shallots.
It's normal for hardneck varieties to bolt. It's the flower stem which produces the hard neck. You should remove the flower bud from the top before it opens, though.

[Snoop Puss]

Thanks for confirming, Ameno.

And agreed: remove the flower stems (also called scapes, very garlicky in flavour so good for using in cooking) to encourage bulbs to grow fatter. Garlic is ready for lifting three weeks after scapes develop. So quite soon.

[mcdood]

. You should remove the flower bud from the top before it opens, though.

And then cook them as you would leeks.

[fishpond]

Looks like it. Garlic not Shallots.
Question is:- Where did you plant the Shallots?

[Jimny14]

Thanks all. So much for my detailed plot plan (which is all in my head as I can't be faffed writing it down). Planted two blocks one shallots and other garlic to overwinter. One of em all rotted off, so that would be the shallots. I'll try em again next spring perhaps. So cut off flower heads and keep em whole n roast em in oven with butter n herbs? That's my favourite way to do leeks.

[Florence Fennel]

Looks healthy anyway - well done

[Snoop Puss]

Me, I slice the stems and use them just like garlic in stir fries, pesto, whatever. I've never cooked them like leeks but if McDood recommends they be used like leeks, sounds like it's worth a try.

[Jay-ell]

Yep that's garlic scapes. I find that garlic scapes don't last that long - this is mostly because I have munched through them before I get off the plot.

If you have some Overwinter Ed Broad beans then the garlic scapes would be nice stir fried with the tops of the bean plants (which will pretty soon be getting blackfly and nead pinching out anyways)

What type of shallots did you sow in autumn? Some are better for autumn sowing, others better for spring sowing.

[Jimny14]

Jay, now you're asking! Considering I couldn't remember which way round I planted the garlic or shallots. I seem to remember them being recommended for autumn sowing but retailers would say that.

[Ognen09]

Hi, don't just cut the flowerbud off but if you hold the flower stem as low as possible and slowly pull it you will get it all the way from the bulb and then you will have a lovely long scape. The correct way to harvest garlic scapes (but not onion scapes) is to wait until the flower stem has curled once and when it is pointing back up at the sky you pull 'em! Google "harvesting garlic scapes". They are delightful. 20 days later you harvest your garlic!

[Jimny14]

This years (and my first) garli harvest, they've been out and drying for a bit, just had some time today to tidy them up today a bit and put em back in the garage to finish drying.