I've eaten a few immature garlic bulbs already, nice flavor. But now I'm learning about something I had never even knew existed before this summer...garlic scapes.
 |
| My Picture |
Garlic scapes are the seed pods of the garlic plant. I don't know that they have any amazing health properties outside the general goodness found in garlic as we discussed in October. Oh, and attracting women!
I've got about 50 of these things to toy with. So far I've eaten them raw (pretty strong!), sauteed them in butter (OMG), and cooked some alongside potatoes in my hot air fryer (crunchy). I'm tempted to throw a couple into a crock of sauerkraut, but afraid it might ruin the batch.
Here's a website called Serious Eats, with seven garlic scape recipes...
Anybody else heard of these gems?
Later!
Tim
I love scapes! They seem to last forever in the fridge, so I don't know if I personally would pickle them.
ReplyDeleteThey make a great accent in salads. I think they are good for sautéing when you want to avoid the sweet taste of regular garlic. Like with sautéed potatoes, since the potatoes are already sweet.
Here's a thought - unrelated to garlic. If we're not eating enough resistance starch, and take probiotics in fairly copious amounts, what happens? Would this lead to the munching on the intestinal wall (leaky gut)? Has overdoing probiotics been studied at all?
ReplyDeleteHow to Optimize Your Gut Flora
ReplyDeleteConsidering the fact that an estimated 80 percent of your immune system is located in your gut, nourishing your gut and regularly reseeding it with healthy bacteria is important for the prevention of virtually ALL disease, from colds to cancer. To do so, I recommend the following strategies:
• Eat real food and avoid processed, refined foods in your diet. It is especially important to avoid all sugars and grains and keep your net carbs (total carbs minus fiber) to under 50 grams per day. You can use cronometer.com/mercola/ to help you monitor this.
• Eat traditionally fermented, unpasteurized foods: Fermented foods are the best route to optimal digestive health, as long as you eat the traditionally made, unpasteurized versions. Some of the beneficial bacteria found in fermented foods are also excellent chelators of heavy metals and pesticides, which will also have a beneficial health effect by reducing your toxic load. Healthy choices include:
◦ Fermented vegetables of all kinds (cabbage, carrots, kale, collards and celery spiced with herbs like ginger and garlic)
◦ Lassi (an Indian yogurt drink)
◦ Fermented raw milk such as kefir or yogurt, but NOT commercial versions, which typically do not have live cultures and are loaded with sugars that feed pathogenic bacteria
◦ Natto (fermented soy)
◦ Kimchi
Ideally, you want to eat a variety of fermented foods to maximize the variety of bacteria you're consuming. Fermented vegetables, which are easy and economical to make at home, are an excellent way to supply beneficial bacteria back into our gut.
As an added bonus, they can also be a great source of vitamin K2, provided you ferment your own using the proper starter culture. We tested samples of high-quality fermented organic vegetables made with our specific starter culture, and a typical serving (about 2 to 3 ounces) contained 10 trillion beneficial bacteria and 500 mcg of vitamin K2, which is an important co-nutrient to both vitamin D and calcium.
• Take a high-quality probiotic supplement if you don't eat fermented foods on a regular basis.
THE ABOVE IS FROM MERCOLA.COM - TODAY'S POST. WHAT IS HE BASING HIS ACROSS THE BOARD ANTI-GRAIN STANCE ON? IS THE BELIEF THAT MOST OR MANY PEOPLE ARE SENSITIVE TO GLUTEN? THANKS IN ADVANCE FOR ANY THOUGHTS YOU HAVE.
This gives me an idea for my next blog post! Mercola and company are just firmly en"grained" in the "no grain" mindset that they just automatically rule out grains of any kind. They have also made a living selling a ketogenic diet to a population that does not need it. Their avoidance of grain and carbs is simply to keep people in ketosis and has no basis on health, despite what they may say.
DeleteEn-grained - haha. Looking forward to that post. Many seem to believe modern grains damage the intestine and cause all sorts of problems. There are even the so-called gluten reactive foods (everything) to worry about. I had celiac disease - or they called it that - as a young toddler, and then supposedly outgrew it - but became very chubby and then obese. So I've always been wary of grains in all the years I've been thin. Some clarify on this would help. Possibly grains have nothing to do with my issues, and could even help.
Deletegarlic scapes are very popular here in the spring - one of the first things available at the farmers markets. I dice them and serve along side - like asparagus - steamed, sautéed or in salads...they are delicious.
ReplyDeletePS - I have always been curious about air fryers...so I take it you like how the foods comes out in them? less greasy but still flavorful?
ReplyDeleteIf you get too many, scape pesto. Good roasted too.
ReplyDeleteBarney
Allotment garden observation: the Greeks cut off the scapes and eat them. They say if you leave the scapes on the plant directs energy to making the 'seeds' and the bulbs don't grow.
ReplyDeleteYes, I've tried garlic and radish scapes. The latter are quite strong and it was recommended to pickle them to make them milder.
ReplyDeletehttp://vegetablepharm.blogspot.com/2016/08/garlic-scapes.html
Thanks Phil! I have never seen radish seed pods and always harvested early. I'll let some plants form pods next time. Maybe bees will enjoy the flowers too:-)
DeleteBarney