Garlic is pretty delicious in… well, everything.
Can you name many savory foods that don’t pair well with garlic?
Probably not!
Garlic tends to be a rather slow crop for homesteaders, especially the first time around.
But, garlic plants will reward their loving, attentive owners with an incredible gift….
A secret, delicious harvest of scapes!
That’s right!
You don’t have to wait until the bulbs mature and the plants die back to enjoy your garlic.
Most gardeners who are new to garlic are completely unaware of this;
they simply throw those delectable scapes away!
Don’t do that; eat them instead! You won’t regret it.
But…. do you know what to do with all of the extras you couldn’t possibly eat right after harvest?
Storing Garlic Scapes
Once harvested, you can begin storing garlic scapes with 3 different methods.
Well, these would be the conventional methods, anyways.
You could probably do something entirely off-the-wall, such as freeze-drying them.
As much as many of us would love a freeze dryer, it’s probably not going to happen in this life.
Not with that $5,000+ price tag, anyways.
So, with that cleared up, let’s move on to briefing you on our 3 chosen methods, then we’ll break them on down!
Once you have your garlic scapes picked fresh from the garden, check for bugs and signs of disease or rot.
Discard any scapes that don’t look quite appetizing, and wash the garlic stalks quite well to remove dirt and debris.
Once the scapes are neat and clean, you can proceed with storing them for an extended period of time by:
- Refrigerating Garlic Scapes: Refrigeration is the quickest, easiest choice. You could get roughly a week’s worth of life from them.
- Dehydrating Garlic Scapes: Dehydrating is the best way to store the scapes while taking up the least amount of room. Dehydrated scapes will last for months, ideal for winter.
- Freezing Garlic Scapes: Freezing will last a similar amount of time as compared to dehydrated ones. However, this method is ideal for dishes where the scapes will be cooked quickly, rather than given the time to hydrate (such as dehydrated scapes in a slow-cooking soup).
Refrigerating Garlic Scapes
If you want a quick and easy method for storing garlic scapes, go with your handy-dandy fridge.
Once scapes are cleaned, place them into a sandwich bag or a gallon storage bag and keep them in your crisper drawer.
They should last between 4 and 7 days; perhaps longer. Discard if they become to discolor, shrivel, become slimy, or secrete fluids.
Trust me: you don’t want to add slimy green worms to a meal you’ve worked hard on.
This method is best when the scapes need to maintain that fresh, crisp texture, or when you plan to use them up rather quickly. It retains that true, home grown taste far more than freezing or dehydrating.
Dehydrating Garlic Scapes
If you want to store your scapes for, say, winter use, you might opt for dehydrating them.
Storing scapes through dehydrating will be the most time consuming method of garlic storage.
However, there are 3 wonderful benefits to dehydrating scapes:
- They will not take up precious cold-storage space.
- The scapes will last for months, perfect for the off season.
- They will take up far less room, drastically reduced in both bulk and weight, in storage.
Once scapes are cleaned, cut them to a desirable size (perhaps 2 to 5 inches, personal preference).
Place the scapes in a single layer on your dehydrator’s racks.
Allow the garlic scapes to dry for 8 to 10 hours, or until completely dry and brittle.
Once dry, store the scapes in a tightly sealed glass jar or spice tub.
Add packets of silica gel to prevent moisture from reaching the scapes; otherwise, shelf life will be reduced
Freezing Garlic Scapes
Freezing garlic scapes will take less time than dehydration, but they will retain more of their natural texture and mild flavor.
However, they will not be in their prime as refrigerated scapes would be.
After you clean and chop them (perhaps 1 to 3 inch pieces, again, personal preference), simply pop them into freezer bags.
You can also blanch them in your microwave for 1 to 2 minutes; just until steaming and hot to the touch.
Microwave ovens vary, so this will greatly depend on the appliance that you’re working with.
Once they have cooled, you can begin laying the pieces out on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper in a single layer.
Pop this sheet into the freezer; once frozen, dump them into a freezer bag.
This process allows the scapes to freeze before touching, keeping them from freezing together.