When to Harvest Scapes (and What to Do With Them)

Early summer marks the beginning of scape season, as you’ll soon see at the farmers market and likely in your own garden. As the seasons change and we hit the right temperature range, onions, garlic, and shallots will try to shoot up a flower. Unlike the sprouted leaves of the plant, which stand hollow, straight, and tall, scapes have a solid stem and tend to grow in fantastical swirls and turns, making them easier to spot.

For most alliums, scapes represent a plant that has bolted, meaning that the taste will be ruined, since all the energy will go towards the flower rather than the bulb of the plant. (For garlic and shallots, this is not true: you can harvest the scape and the plant will quit being distracted and go back to working on producing a large bulb.) The good news is that scapes tend to erupt across your yard within a small window of a week or two, so if you’re diligent enough, you’ll be able to grab them all and do something with the scape harvest. 

How to harvest scapes

Begin by paying attention to your garlic, which you (theoretically) planted in fall. You should start to notice a curvy, curled “leaf” and on inspection, that will be the scape. You want to wait until the scape is as tall as the leaves and separated from the leaves, and then just snap it off at the base, or clip it with clean shears. You do not want the blossom at the top of the scape to open; it should still be tightly closed.

Your onions may also bolt and produce a scape, and you can choose whether to harvest it or leave it on the plant and let it go to seed. At this point, the onion isn’t going to be edible anyway (onions are different than garlic), and if you let the flower go to seed, it makes a really stunning visual in the garden. It will also drop seeds, producing more onions next year. 

Make scape vinegar

It may sound basic, but this spicy, garlicky vinegar is one of the easiest and most visually pleasing ways to use your scapes or open onion flowers. Wash your scapes, chop them into one-inch pieces, fill a bottle or jar one quarter full with the chopped scapes or open onion blossoms, and then top with white vinegar. Let the vinegar sit for a few weeks, and then it’s ready for use. You can filter the scapes out, or leave them in. The blossoms, in particular, look really nice on the shelf. 

Make scape koshō

I eagerly await scapes each year so I can make this garlic koshō from Jori Jayne Emde. It’s essentially just scapes, blended with 20% of their weight in salt, and allowed to ferment. This is one of my favorite fast ways to prep any protein or vegetable. Simply add a little olive oil to the kosho, and then rub it all over what you’re prepping, and then cook it. The koshō imparts saltiness, umami, and a soft garlic flavor. 

Use scapes the same way as garlic

Scapes have a woody stem and a closed blossom, so texturally, they’re different from garlic bulbs, but they have the same spicy taste profile. A thinly sliced or diced scape contributes the same taste as garlic, with a different mouth feel, and a little more bite. The different format of scapes to bulbs allows you to use the scapes creatively, including grilling or sautéing them, which will soften both the flavor and texture. 

Make scape pickles

I used pickled onions all the time, but I save pickled scapes for a special occasion. I use a simple brining solution that is 50% vinegar and 50% brine. You can use any vinegar you want, and the brine is a 3% salt solution. Split the scapes along the length as many times as you can (usually it's just once or twice) and then cut into three-inch pieces. Add the scapes to a jar, and then cover with the hot brine. Cap the jar and allow it to sit for at least two weeks. At that point you can move it to the fridge. 

Blend up some scape butter

Throw eight tablespoons (one stick) of your favorite room-temperature butter into a food processor with one scape. (Don’t add more—one scape is plenty.) Add a pinch of salt and blend until the butter is a pale green and you see only small particles of the scape. Scrape the butter into a jar, and place in the fridge. The resulting butter is stupendous on biscuits or any other application that doesn’t need sweet. 

Arrange a bouquet

If you hate the taste of scapes, you can still enjoy their beauty. Place them in a vase and turn them into a spectacular display on your table, either on their own, or with the snapdragons, sweet peas, or foxgloves that are blooming right now.

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