When hardneck garlic begins to mature it forms a middle stem with a bud that will eventually flower. The young and tender stem is called a garlic scape. Garlic scapes are edible and taste like a mix of garlic and onion, and the texture is similar to asparagus. If they are new to you, or you have a lot of them, garlic scape pesto is a delicious way to prepare them.
There are a few ways to pick these, but my favorite is to snap them off. They will break where they are more tender, in the same manner as asparagus.
While the entire garlic scape can be eaten, I usually chop off the flower portion since the tips are often tough.
Raw garlic scapes are similar to raw garlic in that they are very strong in flavor with a burning and spicy sensation when it hits your mouth. To combat this and make a mellow pesto, I toast my garlic scapes and nuts prior to blending all the ingredients together. I hope you enjoy this very simple and quick recipe for garlic scape pesto.
