I picked up a beautiful basket of tangled garlic scapes at the market this week and after making garlic scape pesto (see the recipe for Zucchini Pasta with Garlic Scape Pumpkin Seed Pesto) decided to ferment the rest! All you need is a large 2 litre mason jar and either a pickle press which is a small round glass disc that sits on top of the ferment to keep it submerged in the brine or simply a zip lock bag with a little water in it as an alternative. The pickled scapes can be chopped and added to salads, tacos, or as Farm Box suggested, served in a spicy caesar as an alternative to celery or pickled asparagus!
Ingredients:
- 1 2 litre mason jar
- 24 or so garlic scapes, enough to stuff into the jar!
- 4 cups of water
- 3 Tbsp. of sea salt or pink himalayan salt
- 1/8 tsp. black pepper
- 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
- a few sprigs of fresh dill (optional)
Combine the water and salt in the mason jar. Stir well until the salt has fully dissolved. Add the pepper, and pepper flakes. Cut the fibrous ends off of the garlic scapes, keeping the flowered heads in tact. Gently press the scapes into the mason jar until it is full and the scapes are fully submerged in the brine. If using dill you can stuff a few sprigs of dill in along the sides of the jar. If there isn’t enough brine to cover the scapes and to fill the jar add a little more water. To keep the scapes submerged in the brine rest a pickle press or a zip lock bag filled with a bit of water on top. If the scapes escape above the level of the brine mould may grow. It is not dangerous and can be spooned off but may affect the flavour slightly.
Allow the scapes to sit on your counter at room temperature for about a week. Screw a lid on once fermented and store in the fridge. They should last several months.
