Scapes?

[lainey lou]

Down at the lottie this morning I was checking out my garlic when I noticed some curly stems which looked like they had flower heads developing on the end of them.
The word scape sprung into my mind but I'm not sure where from.
Is my garlic bolting or is this something useful?

[magz.mccarthy]

nope it's not bolting in a bad way, but it is trying to flower. A lot of garlic does this. In other countries, these stems are harvested and sold in grocery stores. You can grill them or fry or steam them. They've got a nice mild garlicy flavour. Cut them if you like, or let them grow. Someone on here said before that it's another way to tell when to harvest your garlic - when they stand up straight the garlic is ready.

[tootles]

Both.
It is bolting but you can cook the stems too. There is a post about it (hardneck garlic) here somewhere........

[lainey lou]

Thanks guys!

[Alison]

Our local delivery place has been selling bunches of these for a few weeks. They're lovely in stir fries and the like. I think they have said that their's are from elephant garlic but others may do the same, I'm not sure.

[lainey lou]

I'm quite excited now, we're having a BBQ on sunday for fathers day, will chucked them on and impress the family!

[Alice]

Posh restaurants charge a fortune for anything cooked with garlic scapes - so cook and enjoy. They're not doing your garlic any harm. Your garlic will be ready when the leaves die down. Enjoy.

[ardroil]

garlic scapes

most of my garlic have scapes, does anyone know what i do now? do i leave them on or cut them of? ive never grown garlic before and ive dug around them and they are all a decent size, but what now!

[lainey lou]

Hi ardroil, there have been a few threads on garlic scapes lately, so it might be worth you doing a search. I cut mine off and BBQ'd them, they taste really good!

[ardroil]

where do you cut them from, lainey lou ?

[ardroil]

how far down do you cut them?

[jacob]

I can confirm that they're lovely -- I've been eating them in salad. But it's my first time with garlic so I don't know what impact on yield they have. I cut them off as low as I could.

[bluemoon]

My daughter uses them to flavour oils. I hate garlic, but I have to admit that a glass bottle with part of the scrape left in looks lovely.

[lainey lou]

I just cut the whole of the curly scape off as close to the main stem as possible.