One of the mysterious inclusions in many CSA boxes. What does this “scape” plant look like and what other flavors is it available in?
Scape – /skāp/ noun
1. BOTANY
a long, leafless flower stalk coming directly from a root.
Scapes are the flower stalk produced by many members of the allium family. The allium family includes onions, garlic, leeks, scallions, chives, and shallots. We grow three varieties of garlic two that readily scape and one that does so sometimes. The entirety of the garlic plant is edible and taste of garlic. The scapes are no exception, but they taste brighter and fresh. In the kitchen we tend to think of them as an herb or aromatic to amp up the flavor of whatever we are cooking. Lately I’ve been dicing scapes to throw on a hot griddle and pouring sourdough starter over for garlicky sourdough pancakes. Scape pesto, grilled scapes, a topping for hummus, and compound butter all get a thumbs up.