Thank you both.

Karen

drdawg said:IT IS NOT GARLIC!

LOL -- that much we CAN say !

Ken,
Those scapes picked at the right time are considered a delicacy in Korea. I had a friend at work with a Korean wife. He made big points taking a bunch of scapes home to her from my garden plot at work. She would chop them into short lengths and then do a light pickling. Here's a link to a recipe.

http://www.kimchimom.com/2013/...

If you are going to try the recipe, don't let the scapes get too tough.

Thanks, Carl.

That looks yummy!

Carl, thank you for posting that link! Every year I swear I'm going to try cooking my garlic scapes, but then somehow the idea totally es-scapes me (sorry, couldn't help myself!)

Here's a recipe that I found for a garlic scape pesto:

http://cubits.org/recipedujour...

This recipe looks like a good fall back if you let the scapes mature too much for the Korean dish. The food processor will make quick work of them when they are cut in 1/4" pieces.

Good one Weedwhackier!!

A 'recipe' I use for older scapes -

Cream Cheese Spread

Put some scapes in the food processor to chop well
Some dill and parsley if you happen to have some growing (or other herbs)
Add equal parts cream cheese and butter
Blend on high for about two minutes
Sometimes I'll add a couple of drops of cream for a lighter spread.

It reminds me of Alouette cheese spread that you can buy at the store, but for a fraction of the cost.

ROFL, Christine!

That cream cheese spread sounds like it would make a great base for a veggie pizza as well!

A few more recipes and I'm going to have to plant more garlic this fall so I get enough scapes to use

Sandy, when you have real, gourmet garlic, you will love it so much you'll just know there is Italian in your family tree!

Ken, what exactly qualifies as "real gourmet garlic"

I guess the same that that qualifies anything as "real". Elephant garlic is not even a "real" garlic. Chinese garlic would never be thought of as "gourmet" anything. As I stated in my articles, just like there are experts in the field of wine, there are experts in the field of garlic. I simply rely on those experts to know what's gourmet and what's not. Remember that "heirloom" is part of that equation as well. Like plants in general, the term heirloom denotes not only age (which is necessary) but quality, proven over time. That's the best explanation I can give you, Sandy.

I've never grown Elephant "garlic," or Chinese garlic -- mine is definitely "real," but as far as being "gourmet" ... (which I guess is okay with me, since I'm pretty sure I've never been classified as a gourmet, either )

It is neither you nor I that decide on what's gourmet. That's what the garlic experts decide. There are an awful lot of criteria involved in labeling a garlic "gourmet". It is all based on color, size, flavor, storage, and pungency. Labeling them heirloom is more straightforward. Just count the decades they have been grown. There are lots and lots of websites devoted to heirloom, gourmet garlic and lots of farms across the nation that have their own websites as well. Some are large growers and some are small growers. You probably won't find any garlic for sale though. Most of the growers won't have their garlic until September.

Ah, maybe I can learn what I need to know here, among the garlic-knowers!

I planted Georgian Crystal last fall and it has done very well. It's growing in two areas -- just a few plants in each, mind, this is a backyard garden so I'm not talking about rows, really.

Anyway, one little group has started the leaf-browning. All well and good. But neither group is producing scapes! Is this a problem? The group with the browning leaves hasn't reached that halfway stage yet; so maybe there is still time for scapes to form. The other, non-browning group is also a bit smaller in plant height. Both had lots of enrichment prep done to the soil and good mulching.

but no scapes? I'm not that interested in the scapes for themselves, just want to know if there's a problem if the plants don't ever produce them!

The scape is what gives hard neck garlic it's name. Is it possible that they didn't send you what they said?

Seed Savers Exchange was the source -- I think they are unlikely to have made that kind of error. I am more likely to think I remembered the variety wrong! But I actually recall writing the name on tags (which didn't survive the winter so are no help themselves.)

I'm hoping the scape growth is just late.... we had a weird winter and it confused lots of us including some plants.

Sharpie on white plastic knives. Buried next to the plant will be legible and durable for several seasons.

Soft lead pencil on vinyl mini blind will last several seasons above ground and still be legible. Write the name on the buried end also just to be sure.

Grease pencil/China pencil on mini blind/regular blind slats lasts several seasons and is readable from a distance. Works well with aluminum blinds. The blind slats can be cut to length with scissors.

Thanks! Too late for this garlic, though.

Sometimes hardneck garlic simply won't grow that stalk with head (scape). I have some varieties this year with nary a scape. Don't ask me why.