Pickled Garlic Scapes

I love garlic scape season! Scapes are one of my favorite seasonal treats- I found out about them for the first time decades ago in a little farm stand off a back road in Connecticut. I grabbed bunches because I thought the silly green spirals were whimsical and fun, then played around and found out that I LOVE the taste! They’re garlic-y without the sharpness of a garlic cloves and they’re a bit more intense than if you use green garlic leaves! And the texture is great- it is similar to asparagus with that fun snap and it works well in stir fries, in pesto, and in these Pickled Garlic Scapes!

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But before we preserve that flavor, what exactly *are* garlic scapes? They’re the curly, tender, flower stalks that grow from hardneck garlic. You do have to pick them while they’re tender- once they harden and flower they go from being crunchy and delicious to very fibrous.

And the best thing about garlic scapes is that snipping them off helps the garlic bulbs develop (unlike the Green Garlic Powder I make that is from thinning out a garlic crop) so whether you’re grabbing some at a farmers’ market or from your own garden you’re preventing waste!

Choosing Garlic Scapes

While pickled garlic scapes are a little more forgiving than some other recipes (especially garlic scape pesto) you still want to make sure you’re choosing garlic scapes that are flexible, bright green, and snappy. To test their freshness, you can grab an inch off of the bottom of the scape and bend it until it snaps- much like removing the woody bottoms of asparagus! Also, look for scapes that still have an intact bloom bulb. At the top of a scape there is a bump where the flower will bloom from, the tighter the covering of that bloom is, the fresher the scape! If you’re harvesting from your own garden, scapes are generally ready after one full curl has formed. Also, fun fact: sometimes if you store your scapes in water the flowers will bloom! They’re beautiful, but again, make sure you’re using them before they get hard!

Pickled Garlic Scapes Ingredients

Quick Pickled Garlic Scapes Method

Trim the garlic scapes. We’ll want to remove any hard or yellowing length from the bottom of the scape and cut right underneath where the junction where the scape meets the bloom is. And then, determine how long you’d like your pickled garlic scapes to be! I love a combination of keeping some of the garlic scape spirals intact because they look beautiful on a grazing board or as a garnish, but shorter pieces tend to be easier to integrate into other dishes and little more user-friendly! Please note: The longer the pieces are, more time they’ll take to actually pickle based on the surface area of the cuts. So, if you need the pickles in a more timely manner, shorter pieces are the way to go!

Divide the mustard seeds, pepper, garlic, bay leaves, and dill evenly between two pint jars then pack in the scapes. I’ve found it easiest to let the rounded scapes follow the inside walls of the jar and then pack and small or straight pieces in the center.

To make the brine combine the vinegar, water, salt, and sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve solids, then remove from heat.

Pour the still-hot vinegar mixture over the scapes to cover, add a lid, then shake gently. Let cool completely then transfer to the fridge.

Wait a *minimum* of 24 hours, but these pickles are best if left to pickle for a full week. And these pickled garlic scapes are best if stored in the fridge and consumed within three weeks. *I have not tested this recipe for waterbath canning.

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