How to Preserve Garlic Scapes for Year Long Use

With a hint of sweet garlic flavor, the elegant twists of garlic scapes can be used in a variety of recipes that require a subtle sweet seasoning that does not need to be cooked whole. The scape is the stalk from where the flower that grows from the garlic bulb emerges. However, the scapes do not come from the bulb all year long, and must be harvested while fresh and preserved to allow for them to be used in any season. Through freezing, the subtle crunch and flavoring of the scapes can be maintained and saved for a later date.

Things You'll Need

Fresh garlic scapes
Colander
Paper towels

Cutting board
Sharp knife
Small sealable freezer bags

Instructions

Place the garlic scapes in the colander. Rinse them under running water, gently rubbing them with your fingers to remove any dirt or debris.
Remove each scape individually from the colander and wrap a paper towel around it, moving it up and down the stalk, to dry it. Repeat with all the scapes.
Set the scapes down on the cutting board. Trim off the bottom.
Cut them in to the size desired. You can leave them whole, cut them in half, or cut the scapes in to 1-inch long pieces, among other options.
Divide the scapes in to small piles according to what you would add to an individual recipe.
Insert one portioned pile in to a plastic bag, coiling the scapes if freezing them whole in order to make them fit.
Press out as much air as possible from the bag and insert it in to the freezer. Use within a year by adding a frozen portioned scape bag to a recipe.

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