GARLIC SCAPES ARE THE CURLY GREEN SHOOT THAT all garlic plants send out come springtime. They get chopped off so that the plants can focus all their energy into the development of bulbs. Scapes used to be something that farmers discarded or kept for their own use, but they started appearng at farmers’ markets a few years ago. They have the crunch of a string bean, but with a light garlic flavor.
1½ cups/360 ml apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons pickling salt
1½ pounds/680 g garlic scapes
2 tablespoons Mixed Pickling Spice (page 118), divided
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
Prepare a boiling water bath and 2 wide mouth 1-pint/500 ml jars according to the process on page 10. Place the lids in a small saucepan, cover them with water, and simmer over very low heat.
Combine the vinegar, 1½ cups/360 ml water, and pickling salt in a pot and bring the brine to a boil.
Meanwhile, trim the ends of the scapes, both the blossom end and the hard bit that formed at the original cut, and cut them into lengths that will fit in your jars.
Add 1 tablespoon pickling spice and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes to each sterilized jar. Pack the trimmed scapes into the jars.
Slowly pour the hot brine over the garlic scapes in each jar, leaving ½ inch/12 mm headspace. Gently tap the jars on a towel-lined countertop to help loosen any bubbles before using a wooden chopstick to dislodge any remaining bubbles. Check the headspace again and add more brine if necessary.
Wipe the rims, apply the lids and rings, and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes (see page 11).
Let these pickles cure for at least 1 week before eating.
Note: I like to stack the curly parts of the garlic scapes along the jar walls and then pack the straighter ends upright inside. It ends up looking like a curly log cabin, which always appeals to me.