One extra bonus of growing hardneck garlic is the tender, tasty garlic scape that appears on the plant in the spring, about a month before harvest time. Therefore, hardneck garlic actually produces two-harvests a year, a soft green scape and a full round head of cloves.

The scape is a culinary delight and it’s removal from the plant guarantees a plump garlic bulb in the fall. The stalk grows upward, then curves down and around to form a circle. This is the time to harvest garlic scapes by cutting near the leaves where the stalk emerges.

Garlic scapes have a mild garlic flavour and can be used as a garnish, in soups, meats and salads when simply chopped raw. The scapes keep well in the refrigerator for up to a month. Just put them into a paper bag and fold the top down to keep them from drying out. Wash the scapes before using.

Scapes can also be frozen or dehydrated for later use. Simply wash them and pat dry with a paper towel and cut off 1/2 inch from the cut end. They can be used in stir fry, sautéed like green beans, steamed with lemon as a side dish or chopped into any salsa or dip.

cooking

chop of any dried ends and cut into asparagus size portions drop them into a pan of salted boiling water.  Once the water comes back to the boil leave them in for one minute before lifting them out.

Pour a decent amount of olive oil into a frying pan on high heat. Once its hot Stir fry the scapes until they are beautifully caramelised. Remove into a bowl and balance out the flavour of the olive oil with a bid squeeze of lemon and grated parmesan cheese.  Eat on their own or as an a compliment to sea bass. Simple and seasonal with a great flavour.

Or  blanch them, put in a refrigerator and later cooked battered in tempura accompanied by a sweet chilli sauce dip. Scapes cut into green bean sized portions, sautéd in butter & salt are also a perfect way to enjoy this seasonal product. You can also cook them on the barbecue and then drizzle with olive oil for an asparagus style appetiser.