Garlic scapes are the curly flower stalks that shoot up from your garlic plants right before they decide to call it a season. They're a sign your garlic bulbs are nearly ready—and that it’s time to snip, sauté, or shamelessly brag that you know what to do with a garlic scape.
Since June is the time of year to harvest garlic scapes, now seemed like the best time to tell you not only how to harvest them, but what to do with them once you have a big old tangle of them in your hands.
If you're growing garlic and you haven't done it yet, you'd better go check on your garlic plants. If you aren't growing garlic, you should. It's really easy. Go look at my guide to growing garlic. I've been doing it for decades.
June is the month that these curly stems called scapes shoot out of the middle of your garlic leaves.
Those stems need to be cut off before they grow too big but don't just throw them into the compost pile. Cutting garlic scapes not only helps with better bulb formation, it also gives you one of the best seasonal ingredients for quick sautés, pestos, and garlic scape butter. This post covers when to harvest garlic scapes, why it matters, and how to cook them.
You can use garlic scapes in all the same places you'd use garlic. Unless you shove garlic up your nose for some reason. In that case, I don't think scapes would work well at all. Feel free to give 'er a try and let me know.
Table of Contents
What Are Garlic Scapes
Scapes are the squiggly stems that grow from the centre of garlic plants, sprouting in June. On the top of the stem a flower bud forms, and then later an actual garlic flower that's filled with tiny garlic seeds (called bulbils).
Scapes start out straight but curl as they mature.
There are 2 types of garlic: hardneck and softneck.
ONLY hard neck garlic grows scapes. Hard neck garlic is grown in cooler climates. If you own a snowshovel, you're probably growing hard neck garlic and will have scapes that need to be dealt with.
Why Do You Cut 'Em?
You're going to want to chop those scapes off because the scapes eventually turn into big, puffy, garlic scented flowers. That might sound like a fun thing but if you let your scapes go to flower then it'll drain the plant's energy from forming proper sized heads of garlic. So, you need to trim your scapes.
HOWEVER
- You can allow some of your scapes to grow and harvest the seeds that eventually emerge after the flowers. These are called bulbils and they can be planted just like you plant a garlic clove but it takes a couple of years before they'll actually form full heads of garlic.
- Some people leave a couple of scapes on their plot of garlic for harvesting purposes. When the garlic is mature scapes will unwind from their characteristic curl and point straight up to the sky. That's your signal it's time to harvest.
When to Cut Scapes
The absolute perfect time to cut the scapes off is once they've curled into one complete circle like this. But ... it's pretty much whenever you notice them.
If they've done two curls, don't worry about it, just cut them off and grin to yourself for remembering to do it at all.
If you plan on cooking with the garlic scapes, one curl is better as well because the older the scapes are the tougher and more fibrous they get.
They grow fast those scapes. One morning you have a regular stalk of garlic and the next you'll have a patch of squiggles. That's when it's time to grab a pair of scissors.
How to Cut
Just use a pair of regular scissors or pruners to cut the scape off where it meets the first leaf it comes to.
Make your cut on an angle like you would cutting any plant outside, because it allows rain to slip off instead of collect on top. Although, honestly, I don't think it really matters all that much.
Can You Eat Them?
The entire scape is edible, and like I mentioned earlier if they're young with just one loop they're very tender. Anything bigger than that and they start to get fibrous, plus the flowers have started forming inside the tip and even though you can eat the tips it's a bit of a weird texture.
Leek Moth in Garlic Scapes
Leek moth lay eggs on garlic scapes, onions, leeks and shallots. Those eggs hatch and then the larvae burrow into the plant and eat their way through it from the top down.
Look for leek moth larvae damage on the leaves at this time of year.
Would you like to save this stuff?
We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.
If you have damage like this, spray your garlic with Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) a soil bourn natural bacteria that disturbs the guts of caterpillars and larvae and stops them from eating.
You can read more about leek moth and controlling them in this post.
So if you're cutting your scapes to eat - make sure you don't have this kind of damage or you could also be eating leek moth larvae.
You can see where leek moth larvae have burrowed into this scape at the tip.
If you cut the tip crosswise, you can see the hole goes down into the scape. So if you eat this scape, you'll probably be eating larvae as well without any of the added benefits of winning Survivor.
Remove any leaves or scapes with leek moth damage and throw them in the garbage - not the compost pile. You should also pull up infected plants to help prevent more emergence and damage.
What to do with them once they're cut?
- Stick them in the freezer and add them to soups and stews throughout the winter for a garlic flavour that's a little subtler than garlic cloves.
- Substitute them in any recipe that calls for garlic.
- Use them in flower arrangements. Seriously.
- Compost them
Also it's infinitely easier to make a garlic necklace out of scapes than it is out of whole heads of garlic.
Garlic Scape Recipes
If you don't grow your own garlic, garlic scapes are available at most farmer's markets in June.
Garlic Scape Pesto
- Garlic Scape Pesto is the way you want to go for cooking. I make a double batch every summer with my garlic scapes and freeze it to use throughout the winter. Plus I eat some immediately of course. It's a light, bright, tasting pesto with a mild garlic taste.
I *just* made a triple batch of garlic scape pesto this weekend. I freeze it in ice cube trays and use it all year long for on linguine and PIZZA. Pesto pizza is fantastic.
Grilled Scapes
- Grilled Garlic Scapes are an easy fast side dish for the BBQ.
Garlicky Green Beans
- Instead of adding garlic to green beans, cut your scapes to the length of your green beans and cook them alongside the beans. You can even French them like beans.
Pickled Scapes
- Pickle them! Use the same method as for kosher dills but use 4-5" lengths of garlic scapes instead of pickles. Or do both at the same time!
Scape Omelette
- Garlic Scape omelette. I prefer a French omelette like this one. Just remember to sauté your scapes to cook them first before adding them to the omelette.
So if you grow it, go outside and check for scapes now. Before the thought escapes you. Then get cooking.
Or making necklaces to ward off evil spirits and vampires and probably pastry chefs. If you’ve got a favourite way to cook garlic scapes—or a method for sneaking them into every meal until they’re gone—leave it in the comments. I’m always looking for new ways to out-garlic myself.
Linda R
I'm so glad you posted this. After reading it I went out to check my garlic and found leek moth larvae damage on two of them. The scapes haven't emerged yet so they were saved! Thanks a bunch for your timely, informative and amusing post! I've been making your scape pesto for a couple of years now, and it has become a favourite.
Something I'm trying for the first time that is somewhat related is shallots. I just planted some supermarket shallots a few days ago. It'll be interesting to see how they turn out. I have noticed some growth on a few already.
Karen
I planted supermarket shallots at my mothers and they burst up immediately! I'm not sure whether they'll just go to flower though. We'll see! Good luck with yours. :) ~ karen!
Mary W
I'm so jealous of those that can grow hardnecks - in Florida that is not possible. So I quickly scanned over all the yummy looking ways of using scapes as it just is not possible. I am growing sesame seeds - don't have a clue if it will work but the flowers are quick pretty - almost like a snapdragon. So far mine only have one snap dragon per plant but they are still small. I love sesame on chicken and buns so hopefully this experiment will work.
Karen
Sesame seeds. Interesting! That'd be a fun one to grow. I wish my breadseed poppy had taken. :/ ~ karen!
Mary W
I wish your breadseed poppy had taken, also. Mine didn't and I wanted to know what it was like - gave me the idea for the sesame.
Rachel
Sadly, the link to the pesto doesn’t work. But I did find the recipe on a different post of yours, here: https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/lemony-garlic-scape-pesto-is-in-season-now/
Laura
I use mine chopped raw in salads. I store them in the refrigerator, freezer bag closed with a paper towel but vented a third of the way to let condensation out. They last for months and months and MONTHS this way. Gives a nice mild garlicky flavor to my salads!
Karen
Really?! I use all mine for pesto (literally) but the freezer bag/paper towel idea is intriguing. ~ karen!
Laura
Try it with a few! As long as you keep the bag vented a little bit to prevent mold, they almost last forever.
Edna Pickrell
I put my scapes, garlic or onion, in potato fritters, cornbread, hush puppies, grit cakes, cooked greens, rice dishes etc. I’m 75 and have been cooking since I was 6/7 yrs old. Spring onions stewed with pork side meat then make cornmeal dumplings and cook in the onions was my favorite meal to cook. I was raised country in a large farming family wouldn’t change a thing. Blessings
Karen
Cornbread. I haven't made cornbread in years. Do you have your recipe handy?? ;) No matter how many scapes I grow, I'll always use all of them for pesto. I love it! I tried pickled garlic scapes last year but they were stringy. I'll try them one more time this year. ~ karen!
Pat
The other thing I love about garlic scape pesto is that it will not turn brown like basil pesto will.
Toby
Excellent article and very timely. Where's the recipe for garlic scape butter mentioned?
Rina vespa
Hello Karen a
A quick question...the link for the garlic scape pesto shows not found.
Is the recipe elsewhere on your site?
Thank you.
Rina.
Erin
Great article! Didn't even think of freezing them 🤯 Any particular way to go about that or just shove in a freezer bag?
Karen
Hi Erin. I honestly just shove them in a freezer bag, but a more conscientious gal would probably blanche them for 2 minutes first. ~ karen!
Tracey
My friend makes a cream cheese spread : just finely chops a handful of scapes and mixes with a block or two of cream cheese that she has whipped with her blender ; it is the one time on her charcuterie board that we pounce on first 😀
Rochelle
Yum! I love this idea.
Laura
Well, I had a delicious Leak Moth & Garlic Scape Pesto dinner! Honestly, it was so good, you couldn't even taste the larvae! Prior to making this delicious dinner, I had noticed damage similar to what you show on my scapes. So I just cut that off and used the rest, not knowing that they burrow down through the scape (ARRGgggh!). I made quite a large batch of the Pesto and froze it. The challenge will be keeping the image of those little larvae out of my mind next time I eat it.
An elderly gardener friend also suggests using Diatomaceous Earth on plants infested with these critters. He also suggests not planting garlic in the same spot each year as that encourages these pests. I will now have to go out and check my crop for signs of damage. Fingers crossed!
Karen
Hi Laura! Well if the scapes were young it could be that the larvae didn't make its way down into the neck of the scape. So you very likely cut them all off. I think you should have noticed the hole it made down the scape while you were chopping them. As far as DE goes, I'm afraid it really isn't going to help with a leek moth situation. Row cover will keep the moths off the garlic. ~ karen!
Garth Wunsch
Moths are active at night so make sure cover is secure.
Moving the plot won’t help. Moths fly!!!
Jane
It’s a really good idea to move your garlic patch every year,; won’t stop the moths but will prevent other crawlies from moving in.
And Karen - just a friendly reminder that we don’t all live in southern Ontario, scape harvest happens in July in my area of Alberta 😁 and many other parts of Canada
Leslie
I'm growing leeks for the first time ever, and I notice they have scapes! (We just had 2 weeks of very hot weather; don't know if that's a factor.)
I assume I can trim and eat like a garlic scape, but I don't think leeks are nearly ready to harvest, right?
Karen
Oh! That's unusual, I've never had it happen. But yes, get rid of the scapes before they flower. And you can indeed eat them like garlic scapes, just use them in place of where you'd use onions or leeks. :) Lucky you! ~ karen
Debi Kellner
I noticed the same on my leeks the other day! Definitely not due to hot weather. Possibly the worst spring I can remember! Love your blog ❤️
Amy Campbell
Another really helpfully blog post and pictures. Thanks!
Shawna
Just a note that when you grill or saute them, they don't taste so garlicy anymore. They taste bright and fresh and delicious!
Julie
I have mine and am gonna make my pesto tonight!!!
Karen
I just ate some for dinner last night! (again, lol) ~ karen!
Karen
How timely! Just had rehearsal dinner for my daughters wedding in my backyard. My niece is a professional flower designer and she gathered garlic scapes from my garden for table arrangements. They were so sculptural and added so much interest! She took some home to grill. I had no idea all the uses for them! Thank you!
Karen
They're the unsung hero of the garlic world. :) ~ karen!