What to Do with Garlic Scapes (Every Way I Use Them from the Garden)

If you grow hardneck garlic, you get two harvests. Most people know about the bulbs: the papery heads you pull in midsummer, braid, and hang in the kitchen. Fewer people know about what comes first: the scapes.

Every spring, a few weeks before the bulbs are ready, each hardneck plant sends up a slender green shoot from its center. It curls once or twice, points skyward, and, if you leave it, eventually straightens, blooms, and sets seed. You’re not supposed to leave it. That scape is drawing energy away from the bulb below, so every grower cuts them off.

What you do with them after that is where it gets interesting.

I’ve been growing hardneck garlic for years and the scape harvest always arrives in a rush, more than I can use fresh, in the same two-week window every June when everything else in the garden needs attention too. Over time I’ve worked out exactly what to do with them: what to make first, what holds, what freezes, and which uses are genuinely worth the effort.

This is that post.

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What Are Garlic Scapes?

Garlic scapes are the flowering stalks produced exclusively by hardneck garlic varieties — Rocambole, Porcelain, Purple Stripe, and others. Softneck garlic, the kind most commonly sold in grocery stores and used for braiding, doesn’t produce scapes at all.

The scape emerges from the center of the plant as a tender green shoot. Left to grow, it would eventually form a cluster of bulbils at the top — tiny, grape-like structures that are clones of the parent plant and can actually be used to propagate new garlic. But most growers cut scapes long before that stage, while they’re still curled and tender, both to protect the bulb and to eat them.

What do they taste like? Garlic, but fresher and less sharp. Raw, they have a bright, grassy heat that’s more like a scallion crossed with a garlic clove. Cooked, they mellow considerably — becoming almost sweet when charred, mild and savory when sautéed, and deeply flavored when simmered into a broth. They’re more versatile than most people expect.

Hardneck vs. Softneck Garlic

	Hardneck	Softneck
Produces scapes?	Yes	No
Best for	Cold climates, complex flavor	Long storage, braiding
Examples	Rocambole, Porcelain, Purple Stripe	Artichoke, Silverskin
Harvest timing	Bulbs in mid–late summer, scapes 3–4 weeks earlier	Bulbs only

If you’re not sure what you’re growing, look at the center of your garlic plants in late spring. If a curling shoot appears, you have hardneck. If nothing comes up from the center, you have softneck.

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When to Harvest Garlic Scapes

Timing matters more than most guides let on. The window between “perfect” and “too late” is about a week.

Harvest when: the scape has made its curl but hasn’t yet started to straighten. At this stage the stem is tender enough to snap cleanly when bent, the flavor is bright and mild, and it will be crisp in the jar or on the grill.

Too early: the scape hasn’t fully emerged yet; you’d be cutting into the plant unnecessarily.

Too late: once the scape straightens and the bulbil sac at the top begins to swell, the stem turns fibrous and tough — especially the lower half. It’s still edible, but better suited to soups and stocks than to eating whole.

To harvest, grip the scape where it meets the plant and pull upward with steady pressure. It should separate cleanly without disturbing the plant. Alternatively, snip with scissors or a sharp knife just above the lowest leaf.

Storage: Fresh scapes keep well in the refrigerator for two to three weeks, stood upright in a glass of water like herbs, or loosely wrapped and stored in the crisper drawer. They hold better than most people expect.

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How to Prep Garlic Scapes

Before using scapes in any recipe, a little prep goes a long way.

Trim the ends. The very bottom of the stem can be slightly woody, especially if the scapes are a few days old. Trim off the bottom inch or two — the same way you’d prep asparagus. Bend one scape until it snaps naturally; that’s your trim point. Use that as your guide for the rest of the bunch.

Remove the bulbil sac. The small, teardrop-shaped pod at the top of the scape (where the flower would eventually form) can be tough and fibrous. Cut it off and discard it, or toss it into a soup stock where it will soften with long cooking.

What’s left — the curled green stem between those two trimmed ends — is what you cook with. It can be used whole, cut into pieces, sliced thin, or blended, depending on the application.

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Every Way I Use Garlic Scapes

1. Pickled Garlic Scapes

The first thing I make every scape season, before anything else. Scapes pickle beautifully — they stay crunchy for months, the garlic flavor mellows into something tangy and savory, and the curled shapes look genuinely beautiful in a jar.

My brine is simple: equal parts white vinegar and water, a tablespoon of salt, dill seed, red pepper flakes, and cracked black pepper. No sugar. The scapes go into pint jars, the hot brine goes over the top, and they go into the fridge. Ready in five days, good for six months.

→ [Full recipe: Pickled Garlic Scapes (Refrigerator Recipe)]

Best for: snacking, charcuterie boards, alongside sandwiches and burgers, chopped into grain salads, garnishing a Bloody Mary.

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2. Garlic Scape Pesto

The second thing I make, because pesto freezes well and the scapes come in faster than I can use them fresh. This is a no-basil pesto — just scapes, pine nuts, parmesan, lemon, olive oil, and salt, blitzed in a food processor until smooth.

It’s bolder and more savory than basil pesto, holds its color better, and works on everything: pasta, toast, eggs, pizza, soup. A jar in the fridge disappears over the course of a week without any effort.

→ [Full recipe: Garlic Scape Pesto (Simple Homestead Recipe)]

Best for: pasta sauce, pizza base, spread on sourdough toast, stirred into soups, served as a dip with vegetables and cheese.

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3. Grilled or Charred Garlic Scapes

If I have an abundance and need to use scapes quickly, the grill is my first stop. A brief blanch in salted boiling water — about 60 seconds — tenderizes the stems so they cook through on the grill without the outsides burning before the inside softens. Then: olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few minutes over high heat until lightly charred.

The char does something remarkable to the flavor. The sharpness of raw garlic mellows into something almost sweet and smoky. Grilled scapes alongside a steak or lamb chops are one of the better things to come out of the June garden, and they take almost no effort.

They also work well on a cast iron griddle indoors if grilling isn’t an option — the principle is the same.

Best for: alongside grilled meats, as a side vegetable, added to grain bowls while warm, chopped and tossed with roasted potatoes.

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4. Sautéed Garlic Scapes

The most versatile weeknight use. Slice scapes into thin rounds or bias-cut pieces and sauté in butter or olive oil over medium heat for five to seven minutes until tender and beginning to color at the edges. They behave similarly to scallions in a pan — softening, sweetening, and picking up color.

From there, they go into almost anything. Scrambled eggs with sautéed scapes and a little goat cheese is a very good breakfast. Tossed with pasta, lemon, and parmesan. Scattered over a flatbread. Stirred into a frittata. Mixed into fried rice. Used anywhere you’d typically reach for shallots or green onions, but want something with a more distinct garlic character.

Best for: eggs, pasta, flatbreads, frittata, stir fries, anywhere you’d use shallots or green onions.

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5. Scapes in Soups and Stews

This is where the tougher, more mature scapes earn their place. Scapes that have started to straighten and toughen up are still excellent when given time to simmer they soften in a broth and contribute a deep, savory garlic flavor without the sharpness of raw cloves.

I add them in two ways: roughly chopped into a soup pot at the start, to cook down slowly and flavor the broth (then fish them out, like a bay leaf, if texture bothers you), or sliced thin and added toward the end to retain a little bite.

White bean soup with scapes, a parmesan rind, and good olive oil is one of my go-to summer dinners. The same approach works in any light vegetable broth, potato soup, or lentil dish.

The trimmed bottoms and bulbil sacs that you’d otherwise discard are also worth throwing into stock — they contribute flavor without needing to be tender or presentable.

Best for: white bean soup, potato soup, lentil dishes, light broths, vegetable stocks.

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6. Raw Scapes in Salads and as Garnish

Young, freshly harvested scapes — the ones with the tightest curl and the most tender texture — can be used raw, thinly sliced. They bring a bright, punchy garlic bite that’s somewhere between a scallion and a chive. Slice them into thin rounds and scatter over a green salad, grain bowl, or potato salad. They’re sharp enough to stand up to a bold dressing.

Raw scapes also make a good garnish for anything that would benefit from a little allium freshness at the end — a bowl of soup, a flatbread, scrambled eggs — in the same role chives usually play, but with more punch.

The key here is thin slicing and restraint. A little goes a long way raw, and the texture of a thicker piece of raw scape isn’t particularly pleasant. Sliced thin, they’re excellent.

Best for: green salads, grain bowls, potato salad, garnishing soups, finishing flatbreads and eggs.

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A Note on Using the Whole Scape

Most recipes tell you to trim off the bulbil sac and the woody bottom and use the middle section. That’s good advice for most applications. But nothing has to go to waste:

• The bulbil sac: tough to eat whole, but fine in soups and stocks where it will soften with long cooking
• The woody bottom inch: too fibrous to eat pleasantly, but excellent added to a pot of stock
• The scapes that got away — larger, more mature, starting to straighten — these are best for soups, stews, and stocks rather than pickling or eating whole

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Preserving the Harvest: What Keeps and What Doesn’t

Scape season is short — usually just two to three weeks. Here’s how I think about working through a big harvest without waste:

Make first (use fresh): grilled scapes, sautéed scapes, raw in salads. These use the freshest, most tender scapes and don’t keep once cooked.

Make second (refrigerator shelf life): pesto keeps up to a week in the fridge; pickled scapes keep up to six months.

Make for the freezer: pesto is the best candidate. Spoon into an ice cube tray, freeze solid, transfer to a bag. Pull out a cube or two whenever you need them through the fall and winter.

What doesn’t freeze well: pickled scapes (the texture changes), and whole or sliced cooked scapes (they go limp). Make those fresh and eat within the week.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Do you have to remove garlic scapes, or can you leave them on the plant?
You don’t have to, but leaving them on reduces bulb size — the plant puts energy into the scape instead of the clove. If you want the biggest, best bulbs, cut them. If bulb size isn’t a priority, you can leave them and eat the bulbils later.

Can you eat garlic scapes raw?
Yes, thinly sliced. They’re sharp and punchy raw — more so than the cooked version. Slice thin and use in salads or as a garnish rather than eating in large pieces.

Are garlic scapes the same as green garlic?
No. Green garlic is an immature garlic plant — harvested young before the bulb fully develops, used like a scallion. Garlic scapes are the flowering stalks cut from a mature hardneck plant. Both are mild and fresh-tasting compared to cured garlic, but they’re different parts of different stages of the plant.

What if I don’t grow garlic — where do I find scapes?
Farmers markets are the most reliable source, typically from late May through June in the northern US. Some food co-ops and CSA boxes carry them. They’re rarely found in standard grocery stores.

How long do fresh garlic scapes keep?
Two to three weeks in the refrigerator, stored in a loosely sealed bag or stood upright in a glass of water. They hold better than you’d expect.

Can I substitute garlic scapes for garlic cloves in recipes?
In cooked dishes, yes — though the flavor is milder and fresher. A rough equivalent is two to three scapes for one garlic clove, but adjust to taste. They work particularly well as a substitute in dishes where raw garlic would be too sharp.

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Summary: What to Make First

Use	Best scape maturity	Keeps?
Pickled scapes	Tender, tight curl	Up to 6 months (fridge)
Pesto	Tender to medium	1 week fridge / months frozen
Grilled	Tender to medium	Eat same day
Sautéed	Any	Eat within a few days
Soups & stews	Any, including mature	Same day or store with soup
Raw in salads	Tender only	Eat immediately

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We grow hardneck garlic every season, a few hundred plants, which means a few hundred scapes every June. Working out what to do with all of them, without waste and without spending all week in the kitchen, is how all of these recipes came about. Check out my newsletter with more ideas.