Green Garlic

[lperry]

I've got a bumper crop of green garlic right now, and I'd like some ideas for how to use it. A Google search came up with many recipes, but a lot of the comments I saw indicated that many people weren't completely happy with the results because the flavor was obscured rather than showcased. To really see how the flavor works, I thought I'd start with a pesto, maybe as the base for a pizza. Thoughts? Ideas? Recipes?

[deangold]

I sautee the whites for a while in a little butter and then add the greens alter. I always make sure the mix is cooked until the garlic caramelizes to a slightly bite-y sweetness. Then I add it to something for its earthy, lightly garlicky flavor: sauteed mushrooms, sauteed greens, cream sauces, tomato sauces.

[astrid]

Green garlic is very good in stir fries, particularly ones with a lot of Chinese bacon or similarly greasy meats.

[lperry]

I made garlic scape pesto once. It's pretty good but very very strong. If I were to make it again, I'd cut it with a lot of basil.

I blew it this year with the scapes. They were big and the flowers were about to open before I read that you are supposed to cut them off very early to get better garlic yields. (This is my first garlic crop.) The scapes formed on the plants I started from a couple of sprouting bulbs last fall, and the green garlic is from cloves that got planted this spring. They look like scallions with flat leaves, and the taste is just lovely. I made a pesto last night with pistachios and Locatelli cheese and put it on grilled flatbread. I never got the hype about ramps - the smell puts me off those - but green garlic is actually living up to the hype.

[leleboo]

{Total non-gardener question here -- we also have a thread on recipes using garlic scapes. I was under the impression that green garlic is different; is it?}

[lperry]

{Total non-gardener question here -- we also have a thread on recipes using garlic scapes. I was under the impression that green garlic is different; is it?}

It is. Scapes are flower stalks, green garlic is immature bulbs.

[lperry]

Tonight I made my regular baking powder biscuits and added in finely minced green garlic and feta cheese. I was really happy with the results. The garlic steamed (I guess?) and the mild flavor was throughout the biscuits, then it combined with the salty cheese... I can see the leftovers making great toast too.