Roasted Garlic Scapes

It’s an exciting time of year in our vegetable garden when our garlic crop begins producing those mild and delectable scapes. If you don’t grow your own garlic they can be commonly found at farmers markets. Although there are countless ways to incorporate scapes into recipes and various cooking methods, our favorite way  is to roast them. By doing so it brings out a most subtle and delicious deep garlicky flavor. We call them garlic scape frites.

Garlic Scape

If left untouched the tip of the scape will develop into a top heavy seed pod laden with several pea-sized seeds.  When the seeds mature they will drop to the ground, root themselves, and eventually produce tiny garlic plants. It takes several years before a seed can produce a bulb worth harvesting. If anyone is interested we will post photos of this growing sequence.

Clipping The Scape

Clipping the garlic scapes puts the plant’s energy into the bulb (develops a larger bulb) and not the seeds. We clip the scapes promptly after they curl before the seed head (white tip) puffs out. This ensures tender scapes not tough and stringy ones.

Rinsing Scapes

An Abundance Of Scapes

After the garlic scapes are rinsed they are chopped into 3-4 inch pieces and placed into a large bowl. The arrow is indicating a scape that got away from us and would be too tough when cooked for our liking so we enjoy watching it transform its shape in a vase.

Chopping Scapes

Scapes Drizzled With Olive Oil

A judicious amount of olive oil, kosher salt, and sugar are added to the chopped scapes then tossed and scattered onto a baking sheet. They are placed into a preheated oven at 425 degrees and roasted for approx. 25 min.(we have a large heap) checking and tossing several times with tongs in-between to ensure even roasting.

Roasted Garlic Scapes

We let them roast until the tips get crispy.

A Delicious Side Of Tender Scapes

We love roasted garlic scapes  as a side dish with practically anything, this time around they are served with marinated and grilled strip steaks with crispy roasted panko encrusted little red potatoes.

Grilled Strip Steak With Scapes And Roasted Reds

We grow a lot of herbs and I will harvest and dry them throughout the season, but one of the ways I preserve the “fresh” taste of herbs is by preparing a number of pesto’s to freeze for later use. Cilantro, Mint, Basil and Parsley are the 4 that I always have on hand. They take only a few minutes to prepare and come in handy for swirling into soups soups,  adding to salad dressings, tossing into pasta’s, accompanying seafood or meat dishes and the list goes on.  One of my favorites is combining parsley with pistachios. 

Shelling Pistachio Nuts

In this recipe I used dry-roasted and salted pistachios but obviously you can use unsalted and adjust the salt addition to taste. 

Parsley and Pistachio Nut Pesto:

• 1 large bunch parsley leaves or 3 Cups packed
• 3/4 C good olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/4 tsp salt-or to taste
• generous 1/2 C shelled dry-roasted and salted pistachios

Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until evenly blended but still able to see tiny bits of nuts.

Parsley and Pistachio Pesto

If I was to serve this as a pasta pesto dish I incorporate fresh grated cheese and 1-2 Tbls softened butter to it just before serving.  All the nuts and dried fruits I use for cooking, baking or just plain eating are from Sunnyland Farms in Georgia, they are one of my favorite sources for high quality products.

There is a period of time each year when we practically live on tomatoes and it’s here. For three weeks now we have collected most of our semi ripe tomatoes so as to maximize on ripening as many as possible for current and future enjoyment. Every possible inch we can spare in our home is devoted to “tomato ripening space.”

These are just a few of our favorite indulgences that take full advantage of the intense tomato flavor and sweetness of our home grown.

Roma Plum Tomatoes

Plum tomatoes are hollowed out and placed in baking dishes with olive oil, our own dried oregano, pinches of course salt and then slow roasted on a low oven temp.

Roasted Tomatoes

After they cool, they are dressed with chopped parsley and minced garlic from our garden.  We most enjoy these atop crusty bread with fresh goat cheese and a couple of drops of aged balsamic vinegar.

We grow two varieties of cherry tomatoes(Sun Sugar and Grape) and  I make numerous types of fresh salsas and tomato dishes throughout the summer.  

Beautifully Ripened Cherries

We savor this dish that brings out the true essence of these sweet cherry tomatoes and I make variations of it, but this remains a favorite.  It’s simplicity is divine and we love it on top of pasta with grated cheese.

Red And Yellow Cherry Tomato Salad

• 2 lbs yellow and red cherry tomatoes quartered
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 tsp course salt
• 1 cup green “ripe” olives sliced 
• 12 basil leaves thinly sliced

It also makes for a tasty pizza topping.

Cherry Tomato And Parsley Pesto Pizza

We Savor Each Bite

In addition, huge pots of sauce are prepared and then stored (canned or frozen) for later enjoyment on pizza, in rich meat ragus, etc. I make enough to sustain us through our long Maine winter and most of the upcoming year.

From Gardens To Table

Summer has arrived. With so much happening at once throughout the gardens of our Inn, it’s hard to single out one subject. So we didn’t, we chose three plants to highlight. Japanese Iris, cooking with garlic scapes and the common Tiger lily.

Japanese Iris

With the unusual amount of rain we had this spring everything is extremely lush and our flower gardens are flourishing. Especially grateful for the extra water is our collection of beautiful Japanese Iris. They prefer moist rich soil, and if we have a damp spring the reward is an abundance of showy blooms. We planted a few clumps about a decade ago that we purchased  from a friend who was a grower of these incredible perennials in Friendship, ME. She had devoted a field of them that led down to the sea with a stunning picturesque cove as a backdrop. As you can imagine, it was a breathtaking sight when they were all in bloom and a snapshot of that image remains in our memories. Since then we have divided these clumps countless times over the years to maintain their vigor and I keep remarking that we need more room in the garden and more friends to share with.

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Garlic Scapes-Cooking

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We grow many vegetables throughout the summer and garlic is one of them. It ranks number 1 on the list of “must haves” for us. To many of our guests’ surprise, growing this allium is one of the most undemanding and easiest plants to grow(we are getting ready to harvest our garlic and will be devoting an entire post to growing and storing it).

There is nothing like the flavor of your own fresh garlic and if you like to cook with it  you will have a tough time purchasing store bought again. One of the benefits of growing garlic is their scapes(seed heads) that you must clip off so the energy is concentrated on developing a larger garlic bulb. They are delicious, mild and versatile. You can sautee them and serve as a side dish(great with marinated grilled steak), steam and toss with veggies, stir fry and combine in Asian dishes, add to soups and the list goes on.

One of my favorite ways to prepare garlic scapes it to sautee them with tomatoes. I cut them into 2-3 in. pieces, sautee with olive oil until slightly soft, add a couple of chopped tomatoes, coarse salt, pinch of sugar, dash of crushed red pepper seeds, sprinkle of dried oregano(from our garden) and loosely cover with a round of parchment paper(or pot cover). Cook on a low simmer about 10 min. This is an excellent pizza topping or delicious tossed with pasta, some grated cheese, and a chiffonade of fresh basil. I don’t like to complicate cooking in the summer, I save that for the winter.

sauteed garlic scapes and tomatoes

The Tiger lily

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Ahh, the Tiger Lilies. You know it’s July when the Tigers are out. They never seem to get enough recognition yet I know we all see them when driving and suddenly notice these splashes of orange that appear to leap out. We’ve seen them planted at entrances to a drive, adorning country homes,  standing alone in a patch of lawn, clumped under business signs, swaths along roadsides, and even deep down in a ditch(that always amazes me). I especially enjoy the contrast of Tiger Lilies alongside historic white homes, the colors are reminiscent of the old summertime treat, the Creamsicle, that we enjoyed as kids. 

We have plenty of patches of our own. They stand behind rock walls or act as an entrance leading to some of our more formal gardens. Many years ago we cleaned out an old raspberry patch that was littered with Tigers and started transplanting them alongside our drive. They are a beautiful addition to the pink morning glories, that now climb there way to the top of the lily, combined with the wild roses and sweet ferns.