How to Store Garlic Scapes (Plus 16 Free Recipes)
Garlic scapes are one of the best parts of growing hardneck garlic, but their season is frustratingly short. These curly green shoots appear for only a few weeks in late spring and early summer before they’re gone for another year.
🍽️ Topic: How to Store Garlic Scapes
🌱 Best Time to Harvest: When the scapes make their first curl
❄️ Best Storage Method: Freeze chopped scapes in flat freezer bags
⏳ Refrigerator Life: About 3-4 weeks
📅 Freezer Life: Up to 1 year
🥄 My Favorite Uses: Garlic scape butter and homemade garlic scape powder
⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Preserve a short-season harvest and enjoy garlic scapes all year
👇 Full measurements and instructions are in the recipe card below.
If you’ve found a bunch at the farmers market or harvested more than you can use fresh, the good news is that garlic scapes store exceptionally well. They can be refrigerated for several weeks, frozen for up to a year, pickled, dehydrated, or turned into flavorful pestos and compound butters.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to store garlic scapes, the best ways to preserve them for long-term use, where to find them if you don’t grow your own garlic, and plenty of delicious recipes that make the most of this seasonal favorite.
We love garlic scapes around here. Their mild garlic flavor works in everything from grilled vegetables and soups to homemade pesto and garlic scape butter. Since the harvest window is so short, preserving a few batches each summer ensures you’ll have them available long after the season ends.
What the heck are garlic scapes?
Garlic scapes are the flower bud and the stalk or stem of the bud (botanically known as the peduncle) of hardneck garlic plants.
Since the portion of the garlic that we are seeking when we grow them is the garlic bulb, the flowers are removed. This way, the plant doesn’t put its energy into seed production (from the flower) but instead concentrates energy on the bulb itself.
The mild garlic flavor that scapes have is perfect for adding to so many dishes.
When to plant garlic
Garlic is generally planted in the fall when temperatures begin to cool. September or October (zones 5-7) is perfect.
In zones 1-4, plant bulbs in late October or November.
To grow garlic in zones 8-9, the bulbs must be stored in the refrigerator for at least eight weeks (a process called vernalization). Then, the bulbs can be planted in November or December.
The bulb will grow throughout the winter and spring. The scapes usually appear about six weeks before the bulb is ready to harvest.
When to harvest the scapes
This flower from the garlic is produced from mid-June to mid-July in the northern regions. As soon as you see the garlic scapes first curl, cut, or break them off.
Where to find them
If you aren’t growing garlic in your garden, then you can occasionally find it at farmer’s markets, farm stands, and local Asian food suppliers. Look for them from March to the beginning of July, depending on where you live.
What Do Garlic Scapes Taste Like?
Garlic scapes have a fresh, mild garlic flavor with hints of green onion and asparagus. They are less pungent than garlic cloves, making them useful in both raw and cooked dishes.
Raw scapes have a crisp texture and slightly spicy bite. Cooking softens that sharpness and brings out a sweeter flavor that works well in pestos, soups, stir fries, compound butters, and salad dressings.
Can You Eat Garlic Scapes Raw?
Yes. Garlic scapes are completely edible and can be enjoyed raw or cooked.
Slice them thinly and add them to salads, potato salad, pasta salad, cream cheese spreads, or homemade dips. Young scapes are especially tender and have the best texture for fresh eating.
If you find the flavor too strong, a quick sauté or blanching will mellow the garlic flavor considerably.
How to store garlic scapes
Refrigeration
Garlic scapes refrigerate well. They will last a minimum of 4 weeks refrigerated, so save a bunch of them for immediate use. If the tips of either end dries out or become discolored, cut it off with a sharp knife.
- Store them unwashed in a plastic bag, whole.
- Add a damp piece of paper towel to the bag. Store in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator.
An alternative would be to make a fresh cut on the cut end of the scape. Place the scapes in a jar of water and then place the jar in the refrigerator. Change the water daily. I find that the tips of the buds dry out with this method, though. This method will only preserve them for about two weeks.
Freezing
The best way to preserve them for long-term storage is to freeze them. They freeze well in many forms. Make sure that the garlic scapes are clean and that any debris and dirt is removed.
Freeze them raw. Wash and dry the scapes. Process them in the food processor (or chop by hand) until they are fine chunks. Add to freezer bags. Flatten the bags with your hands or a rolling pin. Store flat in the freezer for about one year. Remove a chunk of frozen garlic any time you want to use them in a recipe.
Freeze them in the form of pesto. Just make the garlic scape pesto. Place in bags and flatten and freeze as the raw scapes above. You can also freeze them in cupcake tins. Spray tin first with no-stick spray to make them easier to remove, then push pesto in the cups to fill the holes.
Freeze them into compound butter. Make garlic scape butter and freeze as described in the raw and pesto above. Use this to flavor grilled meats or on biscuits or rolls.
Preserving
Make pickled garlic scapes with vinegar, salt, and spices, which will last at least a year. Great on charcuterie boards or grazing platters. Top a burger. Just eat them as you would a pickle. They are garlicky perfection.
Dehydrating
By dehydrating the garlic scapes, you can make your own Garlic Powder to use in recipes all year! Dehydrate fresh garlic scapes, not previously frozen scapes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Garlic scapes can be frozen whole, but most gardeners prefer chopping them first because they take up less space and are easier to use directly from the freezer.
No. Garlic scapes freeze very well without blanching.
Freezing is the easiest and most versatile option because it preserves flavor and allows you to use small portions throughout the year.
My Favorite Ways to Preserve Garlic Scapes
I’ve preserved garlic scapes just about every way possible over the years, and two methods stand out as my favorites.
Garlic scape butter is one of the easiest ways to capture their fresh flavor. I keep it in the freezer and use it on steaks, chicken, pork chops, potatoes, and summer vegetables. A slice of garlic scape butter melting over grilled food is hard to beat.
I also love dehydrating garlic scapes and grinding them into garlic scape powder. The powder stores well and can be added to soups, sauces, marinades, roasted vegetables, rubs, and homemade seasoning blends. It’s one of the simplest ways to enjoy garlic scapes long after the short harvest season has ended.
If I have a particularly large harvest, I’ll also freeze chopped scapes or make pesto, but garlic scape butter and garlic scape powder are the methods I reach for most often.
Recipes for fresh garlic scapes
There are lots of delicious ways to enjoy fresh scapes, too. Here is a great list of original recipes for your enjoyment. Use them in a stir fry, fried rice, or stews, or to compliment pasta or add to homemade hummus.
Grilling and frying
Grilling them yields a texture similar to grilled asparagus. They get crispy on the outside and are soft and tender on the inside. Serve as a side with your main dish.
Sauces and Condiments
Soups
Hopefully, this article has given you some ideas for storing and preserving garlic scapes. Get some today and use this short-lived addition to your summer recipes. If you are a garlic fan, you’ll love them.
