Oh hai! The “Better get your hands on some…” series on this blog is a reminder post and recipe guide for all you food enthusiasts to sample a few Ontario fruits and vegetables before they go out of season! These posts will help you to properly clean, prepare and eat these scrumptious Ontario foods before they run out!
This week we’re all about the garlic scapes life! These thin and aromatic curly stalks are like an early birthday present from the humble garlic plant. The garlic plant is usually good to harvest later on in the season, but garlic scapes are a variety of garlic that is in full bloom right now! These scapes however can be hard to get a hold of because they are only foraged, spotted in farmers markets or CSA boxes. The challenge of being able to find them in time to savour it is the best part about the garlic scape, in my opinion.
Clean: Once you have your garlic scapes, all you do to clean them is wash thoroughly with water. Make sure your scapes are firm and green. Older scapes are brown and have a duller taste.
Prep: Clean garlic scapes can be prepped easily with a knife. Get rid of the bulb that used to be attached to the plant and any flower blossoms. Prepped scapes can be stored in the refrigerator for a little over a week.
Cook: There are many ways you could incorporate garlic scapes in your diet. Saute, stir fry or even grind into a flavourful pesto. Here is a recipe for a great garlic scape stir fry!
Ingredients:
Garlic Scapes, 1 cup,
Carrots, 1 cup
Baby corn, 1 cup
Bell peppers , 1 cup
Mushrooms, 1 cup
Garlic, 1 clove sliced
Ginger, ½ inch, chopped
Vegetable oil, 1 tbsp
Soy sauce, 1 tbsp
Sugar, 1 tsp
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
In a heated pan/work, add oil, garlic and ginger until fragrant.
Add in the vegetables and sauté.
Incorporate the soy sauce, sugar and salt to the pan/wok and stir fry for 5-7 minutes.
Once cooked, enjoy this with rice or by itself!
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