I’ve been seeing them for years: those gorgeous, exotic, slender green twirls of garlic scapes. I think I’d even had them once before, long ago, diced into a soup.
Then the Garlic Scape Pesto… Garicky goodness! post over at gardening in the boroughs of nyc caught my eye. Garlic scape PESTO? Really? I was intrigued.
A few days later I saw Tis the Season for Garlic Scape Pesto over at Our Happy Acres. Hmmm.
Over the weekend I saw the garlic scapes again at the food co-op and this time I couldn’t pass them by.
fresh garlic scapes, ready for pesto-making!
chopped scapes ready for the food processor
a little salt, olive oil, parmesan, and walnuts later….
Presto – pesto! I threw some red pepper flakes into mine. A nice chilly glass of Sauvignon Blanc went very nicely with it.
Verdict? AMAZING! I can’t believe I’ve never tried this before. I was surprised by how the flavor was simultaneously delicate and yet VERY garlicky. Let me repeat VERY garlicky! Like – I didn’t talk to anyone at close range the next day -garlicky, but totally worth it.
It made plenty to freeze for another time, and I’m already looking forward to that dinner. What a treat this was!
Thanks to Mimi and to Villager for turning me on to garlic scape pesto! It’s a keeper for sure, and may be the thing that convinces me to try growing my own garlic. 😉
If you’ve never had it before, try it now while there are still scapes! Villager has a great recipe posted here. It couldn’t be quicker or easier, and it’s delicious. And if it’s true what they say about garlic helping to keep mosquitoes away, well, hey – that’s just an added, welcomed bonus.





