Pickled Garlic Scapes

A deliciously mild garlic flavor you can add to anything. You can create too!

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What’s a Garlic Scape?

So glad you asked. A garlic scape simply is the flower of the Hardneck garlic variety. It grows from the bulb and if left, will flower and produce many little garlic seeds.

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Why Garlic?

About 10 years ago a good friend had all these garlic plants hanging upside down in her garage. I asked what’s that? I was fascinated about the idea—not to mention, I use garlic in everything.

Over those years, I have experimented with how to grow. I bought bulbs at the grocery store—dropped them in the soil in the fall—they grew. But what I did not know at the time, was there are different types of garlic bulbs. After trial and error, reading, and researching, I learned that if you keep the largest most beautiful bulbs of your harvest each year—they will delight you with more bulbs the following year.

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This brings us to our “Pickled Garlic Scapes” recipe. If you love the flavor of garlic, you will love these. They are tart, peppery, slightly salty, think of it as a garlic pickle. You can add them to salads, eat them raw or enjoy them in a Bloody Mary. That’s what I plan to do this weekend with a few friends, cheers.

Pickled Garlic Scapes

You will need a canning jar; I used a pint size Ball jar. I only had enough scapes for 1 pint. Before I prepared this recipe, I cut the scapes to fit the pint jar, to determine size, etc.

This recipe is so easy, you can create at home. In May/June your local farm stand or Farmers’ Market will have garlic scapes.

Ingredients

Garlic Scapes (I cut about 30 very small scapes)

2/3 cup of cider vinegar

2/3 cup of water (I used spring water in a bottle)

1 teaspoon of canning salt

1 sprig of fresh dill (I picked from the garden)

1/4 teaspoon of peppercorns

1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon of mustard seed

Love 💕

Directions

Sterilize your jar with hot soapy water or run through your dishwater. The Pickled Eggs Recipe provides additional tips.

Cut your garlic scapes to length of your jar. I had enough for 1 pint jar, as I measured and tested a head of time. This is about 30 garlic scapes on the small size, as I cut them early.

Testing # of Garlic Scapes to Fit Size of Jar

Begin to boil your water, vinegar and salt together. While your liquid comes to a boil, add to your pint size jar, the pepper corns, dill and crushed red pepper. Then add your garlic scapes. Arrange so they fit tightly together with about 1/4inch headspace.

Once your liquid boils, carefully fill your jar. Don’t worry if your garlic scapes rise to the top, they will settle down. Just ensure you leave 1/4inch of space between your liquid and your jar lid, seal.

Hot Water, Vinegar, & Salt Liquid added to Pint Size Jar (leaving 1/4inch headspace)

Let rest at room temperature to cool down completely. Mine did seal, but I chose to put them in the refrigerator. Let them rest and pickle in the refrigerator for at least 1-week before enjoying. The longer you wait the stronger the pickled flavor.

Jar is cooled down, lid sealed, but I chose to refrigerate.

That’s it my friends. You can do it. It is that easy! Nice way to jump start into pickling. This is a 50 to 50 ratio of water to vinegar recipe. And you could use sea salt if you don’t have canning on hand, as you can refrigerate these and not worry about shelf life. The “Pickled Garlic Scapes “should last several months in the refrigerator. If they last that long, grin.

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Enjoy! I do hope you are inspired to create something new today.

I appreciate all of you! With all my heart, thank you for reading and engaging.

God bless you with lovingkindness.

Until we meet again, ❤️.

Wendy.