Garden Quick Tip: When & Why to Harvest Garlic Scapes

Posted by Jun 28, 2015 garden quick tip, gardening, garlic, homesteading, how-to, recipes , , , , 4 Comments

Today’s quick tip from the garden pertains to harvesting garlic scapes.

When and Why to Harvest Garlic Scapes- Yellow Birch Hobby Farm

Hardneck garlic varieties will produce a stiff, smooth flower stalk up through its middle that is distinctively different than the rest of the plant. This stalk, or scape, has a mild garlic flavor and is used to enhance all kinds of dishes from pesto to potatoes, eggs, salad, pizza, and so much more. They can also be sauteed or pickled and eaten on their own.

However you choose to enjoy your garlic scapes (or not), you should know why harvesting them is important- and when.

garlic scape- yellow birch hobby farm

Garlic scapes should be removed as soon as possible, for 2 reasons:

  • For eating purposes, scapes are far more tender the sooner they are harvested. If allowed to fully curl or even begin climbing back upward, they will become tough and woody in texture. Simply remove the scape by pulling up on it or cut/pinch off at the base of the stem. Aim to do this during the afternoon, rather than early in the morning as the wound created by removing the scape will dry/heal more quickly under the sun.
  • By removing the scape, you are allowing your garlic plant to put more of its energy into creating a larger garlic bulb rather than into its flower. The only time you would really want to leave the scape is if you are wanting to allow it to form its bulbils for future growth and harvest of mini garlic.

And because you’re probably about to dash out to your garden to harvest some scapes for yourself, here’s a link full of recipes for which you can use them:

28 Food Blogger Recipes Using Garlic Scapes

Enjoy your day!

About yellowbirchhobbyfarm

Hi! I'm Erin, a 19th-century homesteader at heart. Here at Yellow Birch Hobby Farm we practice self-sustainable living by way of organic gardening, canning & preserving, raising a variety of livestock, hunting, foraging, and cooking from scratch. And here at our blog, we share it all with you! So glad you've found us.
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4 comments on “Garden Quick Tip: When & Why to Harvest Garlic Scapes”

  1. So, I planted garlic last year and recently saw the green leaves (?) popping up. I thought someone told me to cut the green as soon as you see it, so I did. I did not remove the scapes since they have not yet appeared. Have I wrecked these bulbs?

    • Those green shoots emerge from the bulb as soon as the weather begins warming and that is the beginning of your plant! So no- don’t cut them. The scapes don’t appear for a while- the garlic plants themselves will be around a foot tall before you start seeing the curly stalk that is the scape (and a natural part of the plant’s reproductive process). I don’t know that you have necessarily wrecked the bulbs. It may continue to grow despite its top being cut off- I’d watch and see. Please let me know if they come back. Best wishes!

  2. Thank you, thank you Yours were the 2 best comments I’ve read about garlic scapes. I’ll be sure to check back in for other handy tips!

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