Scapes

What do I do with those scapes you gave me?

Leave the Bulb and Go Straight to the Top with Garlic Scapes from

The Oregonian, June 12, 2012

The first green asparagus of spring gets a whole lot of love. But just a month or two behind it, there's another green shoot that deserves its own fanfare: the garlic scape.

Garlic scapes, also known as garlic curls, or, adorably, whistles, are the twisted green tops of garlic plants. They're generally cut to about 8-inch lengths, ranging from slightly bent stalks to irregular curlicues. Scapes are harvested in late spring/early summer (the season is hard to predict and fairly brief) using a neat little gardener's trick: Trim off the tips before the seedpods swell and mature, and in exchange that energy goes toward making larger garlic bulbs underground. And, as an added bonus, you get to eat the scapes.

Like garlic itself, scapes pack a punch when raw (though they're not quite as intense as the bulb). You can use this to your advantage, adding a fine mince to dishes that will benefit from the scapes' strong flavor. But with just a bit of heat, scapes' harshness softens, leaving a mellower garlic note, along with their spring-green taste. Scapes, like spring ramps, work especially well when paired with mild ingredients that let their flavor shine through: Cook them up with eggs, pasta or creamy dairy-rich dishes. For sheer simplicity, brush them with oil and toss them directly on the grill.

Scapes are easily turned into a pungent pesto -- use it sparingly raw, or soften the flavor by pairing it with hot pasta or broiling it on slices of artisan bread. You can even bathe scapes in vinegar for a pungent pickle.

Whatever the preparation, scapes can be trimmed into bite-sized lengths for easier dining. But though it's a bit unwieldy, I argue it's sometimes far more fun to leave them as they are, like little green scraps of ribbon from your own spring garden party.

-- Deena Prichep is a Portland freelance writer and radio producer who blogs at
mostlyfoodstuffs.blogspot.com. 

Garlic Scape Potato Pizza With Walnuts and Blue Cheese

Makes 4 servings

Although potatoes seem like a strange pizza topping, they work surprisingly well, providing a nice creamy feel without much cheese, and a good backdrop for the garlicky scapes.

1 16-ounce ball of pizza dough, homemade or store-bought

3 medium-size waxy red or yellow potatoes

Olive oil

Salt

1/4 cup walnuts (no need to toast, as they'll toast on the pizza)

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

6 to 8 garlic scapes

Preheat oven (with a pizza stone if you have one) to 500 degrees for 30 minutes. If your pizza dough has been refrigerated, let it sit, covered, at room temperature for about the same amount of time.

Place the potatoes in a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for a few minutes, until they can be easily pierced with a fork. Remove and let cool slightly, then slice into 1/4-inch-thick rounds (the potatoes can be cooked in advance).

When the dough and oven have come to temperature, place the dough on a lightly floured countertop, and press outward into a thick disk, leaving a 1-inch unpressed area around the edge. Pick up the disk and let it drape over the backs of your hands, letting gravity help you stretch it into a 14-inch circle. If the dough resists, let it relax for a few minutes, then try again. If you have a pizza stone, place the stretched dough on a peel (or overturned baking sheet or cutting board) that's lightly dusted with semolina or other flour. Otherwise, just build the pizza on a cornmeal-dusted baking sheet.

Lay the potato slices evenly over the dough, leaving a 1-inch rim of crust along the edge, and then drizzle them with a little olive oil and sprinkle lightly with salt. Scatter the walnuts and blue cheese over the potatoes. Toss the garlic scapes with a drizzle of olive oil and salt, then scatter the scapes over the pizza.

If using a pizza stone, give the peel or sheet a little shake to loosen the pizza and make sure it hasn't stuck, then open the oven and gently tip the pizza onto your preheated stone (or, if not using a stone, simply transfer the pizza to the oven). Bake until the crust bubbles and browns, and the scapes are cooked, about 10 minutes.

Savory Scape-Goat Pudding With Wild Mushrooms

Makes 6 servings

Tapioca usually surfaces in desserts, but chef Aaron Woo, of Northeast Portland's Natural Selection restaurant, gives the pudding a savory turn with goat cheese and garlic scapes. He fancies it up further with oil-poached scapes (optional, but a nice touch), and a sauté of wild mushrooms. The pudding can be prepared in advance and refrigerated, then brought to room temperature and baked as instructed. Although it makes an elegant first course for six, it can be bolstered with a salad and crusty loaf of bread for a main dish.

Oil-poached scapes

6 garlic scapes

1 to 2 cups olive oil

Pinch sea salt

4 strips of lemon zest

Pudding

1/3 cup small pearl tapioca (not instant)

2 cups whole milk (divided)

1 cup heavy whipping cream (divided)

2 garlic scapes (or more if they're small), finely minced

8 ounces soft goat cheese, such as chèvre

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 egg yolks

1/4 cup lemon juice

Mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 to 3 cups wild fresh mushrooms, roughly chopped if large or left whole if small (see note)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make oil-poached scapes: Place the 6 scapes in a small saucepan (sort of wind them around to make them fit if needed), and add olive oil to cover. Add the salt and lemon zest, bring to a simmer, then turn off the heat, set aside to come to room temperature then strain scapes and set aside. (The oil may be re-used wherever the garlicky flavors would be welcome.)

To make pudding: In a large saucepan, place the tapioca pearls and 1 cup of the milk. After an hour, preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and butter six 4-ounce ramekins (or a larger soufflé pan).

Add the remaining 1 cup milk to the tapioca, along with 1/2 cup of the cream, and the minced garlic scapes. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Reduce the heat to low, and cook until the tapioca is cooked through and translucent, about 10 more minutes. Turn off the heat and crumble in the goat cheese, stirring to combine, and season with salt and pepper to taste (the residual heat should be enough to melt the goat cheese, but if not just put it back over low heat for another few minutes).

In a mixer, whisk together the egg yolks and lemon juice until the mixture thickens. Fold into the tapioca mixture. Whip the remaining 1/2 cup of cream until it forms stiff peaks, and fold that in as well. Transfer to your prepared pan(s), and bake until it puffs slightly but is still pale and trembling, about 5 minutes for ramekins, 20 minutes if you bake it in a larger pan. Remove and let cool slightly.

While the pudding is baking, prepare the mushrooms.

To make mushrooms: In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil over high heat, then add the mushrooms. Let sit until the liquid from the mushrooms releases and evaporates, and the mushrooms brown; stir and let color on other sides. Repeat until the mushrooms are well cooked and flavorful. Season to taste with salt.

Serve the puddings with the mushrooms and the poached scapes.

Note: Chef Woo favors porcinis and morels, which are coming into season around this time, but any wild mushrooms will do.

Baby bat

Thursday's wildlife adventure netted me a cast and infection losing the battle with a sprung mole trap and today's adventure landed this beauty on my bare neck. I was sitting on the back patio enjoying some tea and a book and she surprised me with an impromptu visit. I took her to the Portland Audubon Wildlife Rescue Center but, sadly, she had to be euthanized to test for rabies. The results came back negative but I still feel guilty making the decision.

Thank you for four years of sweetness Ebony

The girls are going strong

We have dark brown, light brown, blue smooth, blue bumpy, speckled tan, green, big white, teeny white and tiny long white. Occasionally we even have a double yolk from the green egg...that would be the overachieving Sophia.

My foe

The majority of the slugs I am disposing of each evening (via a pair of scissors) are these European Red Slugs. I have found it interesting that there is absolutely no evidence of their demise the next morning. I'm not certain if they are being cannibalized or eaten by the earthworms throughout the night (both possible options...so I've read). Perhaps one of these warm days I will camp out in the dark night and play private eye. Anyone want to join me?

CSA Update - May 2011

Here we go. The growing season has finally arrived. Are you ready? I am!

I placed compost on all the raised beds and worked it into the soil. Kent said I was a sight to see because I climbed into each bed, hunkered down with a small shovel and got to work. I was filthy. I went down about 10” and used my hands to break each clod of soil and mix it with the compost. It took me all week but I’m pleased with the results. I came across hundreds of worms and sorted them- the earthworms went to the chickens and the red wrigglers went into the worm bin. I wasn’t worried about removing them because many got away and will be there to help aerate the soil. With my iPod in and John Denver, Neil Diamond, Newsboys or Casting Crowns accompanying my every move, I found it to be a truly spiritual experience. I’m just happy that no one came for an impromptu visit while I was at work!

With the soil prepared for planting, I spent a few days planting seeds in the main garden. This year I decided to plant everything there and transplant to the side and north gardens when the plants are bigger. It seems easier to protect them from the never ending slugs if I keep them all in the same place. This way I can go out each night with my flashlight and scissors and do them in. Going organic all the way.

The only seed I haven’t planted is corn because they don’t transplant well and the north garden is still pretty damp and cold. Hopefully I will have them in the ground in the next week (depending upon the weather.) I have also chosen to hold off on transplanting the tomatoes and peppers to the main garden until next week because they are doing well in the cold frames and there is no advantage to getting in the ground now.

I’m experimenting with a few new approaches this year including growing potatoes above ground. I have two burlap bags rolled down to about 8” with potatoes planted at the bottom and covered with a light layer of soil. As the potato leaves grow up, I will cover them with more soil. I’m also growing the majority of the potatoes in straw this year. After weeding and lightly scratching the soil, I placed the potato bits directly on top of the ground and placed straw on them. They already have sprouted leaves and I put another layer on straw on top. This method is supposed to make for easier harvesting and cleaner spuds. Let’s hope so.

Another experiment I am doing this year is planting in straw bales. This method allows me to expand my growing space because I set the bales on ground (even concrete in one area) that I can’t normally use except for trailing vines. I kept each bale bound, topped them with organic steer manure (that was hard to find!) soaked it completely and covered it with burlap bags I got from Longbottom Coffee. This will allow the straw to “heat up” and start to decompose. After they cool down, I will transplant some of the cucumbers and pumpkins into the top of the bales and let them do their thing. They will require more water and fertilizer than plants in the soil so I will set up soaker hoses and use fish fertilizer on them.

Last year I was able to get the first filled baskets to everyone at the end of May but it looks as if we will have to wait until early to mid-June this year. The weather has been much too cool and wet for everything except a few herbs and the rhubarb. The peas haven’t even flowered yet. Don’t despair though, this just means the growing season will extend into October. Yay!

Next month I will update you on the bees and the chickens. I have thousands of happy, spoiled ladies ready to share their bounty with you.

I need to collect the two baskets you wish me to use for your produce. They can be anything you have on hand but at least the size of a small laundry basket. Once I have them in hand and fill the one for the week, you just need to make certain that you bring back your empty basket when you pick up your next delivery the following week. Thank you for assisting with the basket acquisition.

Anytime you would like to come out and visit the gardens, just let me know.

With love,

Tarri

Racing against the Lumbricus terrestris

This last weekend I started noticing that some of the little Walla Walla onion starts were displaced- pulled out and laying on their sides. I’ve had this problem in the past and know that the birds are notorious for plucking them out for nesting material, dropping them at random. (Birds 1, Tarri 0). Hmmm… I can play this game. I replaced the sad little starts and covered the bed with chicken wire. (Birds 1, Tarri 1). Then the last few mornings I have noticed that some of the onion starts have completely disappeared or are lying upside down, embedded in the soil with their roots exposed. There were even a few instances where there were up to three starts in one hole, flailing for their little lives. What was this new foe? (Earthworms 1, Tarri 0). Yes, those lovely worms that I have worked so hard to maintain are appreciating this new dining experience. After all, they’ve only been offered dried leaves and pine needles this winter. They are so grateful for the addition to the salad bar offerings. So tomorrow, rain or shine, I’m going to get the push mower out and see what few clippings I can get from the lawn and line the onion rows with ecolawn blades. I sure hope those soil dwellers prefer grass over onions and we can call it a tied game!