After asparagus and radishes, Quebec-grown garlic scapes start appearing in supermarkets, public markets and organic food baskets.

One question that often comes up when Le Petit Mas goes to fairs is: “What can I cook with garlic scapes?”

To answer this question, we must first distinguish between two products: our fermented garlic flowers and fresh garlic scapes.

Fermented garlic scapes in oil

Developed in 1989 by Le Petit Mas, our fermented garlic flowers are a seasoning. More delicate than garlic, they don’t have that “burning” taste of garlic cloves. The fermentation process makes the raw scapes more easy to digest and they won’t give you garlic breath. So fermented garlic scape butter will be much more digestible than traditional garlic butter and won’t overpower the taste of your lobster or prawns.

Ready to use, fermented garlic scapes will quickly season everyday meals as well as fancier dishes: salads, dressings, pasta, seafood, marinades, pizzas, sandwiches, vegetables, etc.

Try Le Petit Mas fermented garlic flowers, available year-round in stores.

Fresh garlic scapes

Fresh garlic scapes can be eaten in two ways.

Cook fresh garlic scapes like other vegetables. Their taste is similar to green beans or asparagus, but slightly sweeter. Fresh garlic scapes can be steamed, baked or fried. When you can easily poke them with a knife, they are ready to eat. Add them to stir-fries, pizzas, quiches and more.

Raw and finely chopped, fresh garlic scapes are a good substitute for green onions in salads, soups, etc. (1 garlic scape = 1 green onion).

Most market gardeners sell garlic scapes seasonally (late June to mid-July). Go to public markets throughout Quebec to stock up!

Now that we have made the distinction, here are some summer recipes for cooking with Quebec-grown garlic scapes: