Pickled Garlic Scapes Recipes

PICKLED GARLIC SCAPES OR GARLIC WHISTLES

Steps:

• Wash garlic scapes and remove blossoms and any woody ends. Cut each scape into 2-3 sections.
• Bring 3-4 quarts of water to a boil. Blanch scapes for 2 1/2-3 minutes in boiling water. Drain & dump into ice water to stop cooking. Drain again & add to a clean quart jar.
• Add water, vinegars, salt, sugar & pickling spice to small saucepan. Bring to a boil.
• Add peppercorns & mustard seed to jar with scapes.
• When brine has come to a boil remove from heat and pour over scapes in the jar.
• Add lid and allow to come to room temperature. Refrigerate for 3 days before eating. Will last about a month refrigerated. Could also be sealed in a water bath for longer term storage (but I've not tried this). [Update: I've had some of these in the fridge for almost exactly a year and they are noticeably softer but otherwise are just fine.].

PICKLED GARLIC SCAPES

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Trim the garlic scapes, curl them up, and place them in a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid. We like to truly stack them on top of one another to make them pretty, and then fill in the center space with more tightly curled scapes, but you can also cut the scapes into bite-sized pieces and then just pile them in.
• Work the chile, if you're using it, into the jar with the garlic scapes. Tuck it in the center, or work it in along the side of the jar so you can see it. (This is especially useful if you're making more than 1 pint and some have chile and some don't.)
• In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the vinegar, salt, and sugar with 1 cup of water to a simmer. Cook, swirling the pan if necessary until the salt and sugar are fully dissolved.
• Pour the warm vinegar mixture over the garlic scapes in the jars to cover them (you may not use all of the vinegar mixture), but leaving about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top (between the top of the liquid and where the lid will be). Screw the lid on the jar. Let it sit until cool, then store it in the refrigerator for at least four weeks and up to six months to let the flavors blend and the garlic scapes to "pickle." The pickles will get more tender over time, but their flavor will stay garlicky strong.

PICKLED GARLIC

Steps:

• Place garlic cloves in a medium bowl, first cutting the large cloves in half. Mix in the red bell pepper.
• In a large saucepan over medium high heat, place the distilled white vinegar and white sugar. Wrap ground dry mustard and celery seed in a spice bag, and place in the liquid mixture. Bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and pepper. Continue boiling 5 minutes. Remove from heat and discard spice bag.
• Place garlic and peppers in sterile containers to within 1 inch of the top. Fill with remaining liquid to within 1/4 inch from the top. Seal and store in the refrigerator approximately three weeks before serving.