I don’t know about you, but I love garlic.
Looove it.
I love adding it to pretty much everything I cook. I love how the smell lingers on your hands long after you’ve handled it. Some might find that gross. Not I.
But what’s more, I really love growing it.
I love the fact that you can plant it in the fall, when you’re not planting anything else and you’re feeling a little bit sad about the garden going to rest.
I love that in the spring, when everything else is dormant, it wakes up and grows without needing anything from you.
And I love that, even before it’s ready, it sends up a delicious flower stalk (or scape) that can be prepared in so many ways.
Today we’re going to learn how to pickle your garlic scapes, because pickled anything is just plain awesome, am I right?
Pickled Garlic Scapes (printable recipe at bottom of post)
First, learn when and why you should harvest your garlic scapes. Then head on out to the garden and using a knife or scissors, cut the scapes where they meet the leaves. Try to do this when it’s sunny so that the wound can dry quickly. Or, if you don’t grow your own garlic, keep an eye out at your local farmers market this time of year.
Wash your scapes and then cut off the flower portion at the top- just behind where the white meets the green.
You can cut them into pieces or just curl them into clean, prepared jars. Pack them in there, being sure to leave 1 inch headspace.
To each jar, add: 2 cloves garlic, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill (or a sprig of fresh dill if yours is ready in the garden…mine was not), and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper.
On the stovetop, heat 5 cups water, 5 cups vinegar, and 1/2 cup canning salt to the boiling point, then turn down to a simmer. Carefully ladle the brine into your jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Secure lids and bands. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
Allow to sit for 3-4 weeks before eating.
{Makes 6 pints, using approx. 100 garlic scapes. Can be altered as necessary}.
- 100 garlic scapes
- 12 cloves garlic (2 for each pint jar)
- 3 teaspoons dried dill (1/2 tsp per pint, or 1 sprig fresh dill per pint)
- 1½ teaspoons crushed red pepper (1/4 tsp per pint)
- 5 cups distilled white vinegar
- 5 cups water
- ½ cup canning salt
- Wash your scapes and then cut off the flower stalk at the top- just behind where the white meets the green.
- You can cut them into pieces or just curl them into clean, prepared jars. Pack them in there, being sure to leave 1 inch headspace.
- To each pint jar, add: 2 cloves garlic, ½ teaspoon dried dill (or 1 sprig fresh dill), and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper.
- On the stovetop, heat 5 cups water, 5 cups vinegar, and ½ cup canning salt to the boiling point, then turn down to a simmer. Carefully ladle the brine into your jars, leaving 1 inch headspace. Secure lids and bands. Process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.
- Allow to sit for 3-4 weeks before eating.
- {Makes 6 pints, using approx. 100 garlic scapes. Can be altered as necessary}.
A trick I’ve learned: once you harvest your garlic scapes, you can get a jump on growing another crop by spreading lots of parsley seeds throughout the garlic bed. I heavily mulch the bed when I plant the garlic cloves in the fall and by late June most of it has been proceed by worms, making viable seed nooks without having to prepare the soil. Many seeds will have sprouted by the time you harvest the garlic a month later. They don’t seem to mind being disturbed and really thrive once they no longer have competition. By September there should be many luscious parsley plants for making pesto, drying and adding to so may dishes!
That’s a really great idea, Bill! Thank-you for that. I will give that a try next year 🙂
Hi Erin,
Terrific website – thank you for sharing! Can the pickled scapes recipe be used for other vegetables, i.e. cucumbers, beets, etc.?
Yes! I use it for cucumbers and beans. I imagine it would work for others as well 🙂 Thanks so much for visiting!