Until I started growing hardneck garlic varieties a few years ago, I don’t think I had ever eaten a garlic scape before. But as I found out, if you grow hardneck garlic you will get scapes, and if you eat them you will find out how tasty they are. And next you will start looking for ways to use them.
hardneck garlic scape
Around here, garlic scapes seem to show up just about the time that asparagus is winding down. Which means, we have a new favorite thing for a while! The scapes find their way into lots of things, like frittatas, pasta dishes, and in Garlic Scape Pesto. They are just too good to not do something with them. They are also good grilled, or in stir-fried dishes.
ingredients for garlic scape salad dressing
But my new favorite thing to do with garlic scapes is to make salad dressing with them. I got the recipe from fellow blogger and gardener Daphne, who shared her recipe a couple of years ago.
blending the dressing with immersion blender
Usually I change a recipe, you know, tweak it a bit somehow. But in this case Daphne’s recipe is wonderful as-is. I do make it with an immersion blender, which I find is easier than using a food processor. And I do use white wine vinegar, instead of balsamic vinegar. With the honey I find that it is plenty sweet for me. And speaking of honey, this recipe is a good excuse to use some of our own honey, as well as some of our homemade Spicy Brown Mustard.
dressing going on salad
This salad dressing has a lovely green color, and a sweet-tangy taste. Of course it’s garlicky too, but it’s not as ‘over the top’ as you might think. This dressing should keep in the refrigerator for a few days, but I have no experience with that since we always eat it up so quickly!
Daphne’s Garlic Scape Salad Dressing
Print This Recipea recipe from Daphne’s Dandelions
1 oz garlic scapes (peel scapes if skin is tough)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1 Tbs honey
1 Tbs dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1. Place all ingredients in blender or food processor and process until garlic scapes are well chopped and mixture is smooth. Or use immersion blender like I usually do.
Servings: 4
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition (per serving): 151 calories, 120 calories from fat, 13.7g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 194.3mg sodium, 22.8mg potassium, 7.8g carbohydrates, <1g fiber, 4.4g sugar, <1g protein, 17.6mg calcium, 1.8g saturated fat.
My husband will love this dressing on his salads, I don’t use oil on mine. My favorite garlic is green garlic, so mild and delicious, I’ve been eating it chopped up on salads for two months now. I even planted some garlic in the greenhouse last Fall, so I would have green garlic as soon as possible. I plant a lot of garlic and don’t use most of the scapes. Wish I could eat green garlic all year though, I also Spring planted some. Do you eat green garlic?
Yes, I love green garlic! I planted some in early spring, and have been enjoying it for some time now.
I haven’t made that this year. And sadly my lettuce is all gone. I didn’t keep replanting it as I should have. I keep thinking I should make it as a dip though for me veggies.
I’ve yet to successfully grow a garlic scape. I grow hardneck varieties occasionally but they wont send up flower heads for me. Either they aren’t getting enough sun or my climate is too warm or both but regardless it means no dressing for me sadly as that recipe sounds delicious.
Since I started reading your blog, I realize I don’t know where to “pin” your recipes on Pinterest. Should they be in my “Gardening” folder or “Food”?? 😉
We are in a Western Suburb of Chicago, IL, and I enjoy seeing what you harvest (and what you do with it) in anticipation of our garden’s production. You have posted a lot of great information.
Thanks Darlene. One of the main reasons I started gardening years ago was because I liked to eat so much!
Now I know what to do with my garlic scapes. It killed me to toss them in the compost last year, because they looked good enough to eat! And it turns out they are!