Freezing Garlic Scapes: What You Need to Know
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Have way too many garlic scapes on hand? Freeze them for later! Freezing garlic scapes is quick and easy and will preserve your scape harvest for months to come.
Garlic scapes are the flowering stems of the hardneck garlic plant, and they emerge every year during late spring and early summer. Farmers remove them to redirect the plant’s energy to growing the garlic bulb. This means we get to enjoy the tender stalks, known for their mild garlic flavor and texture similar to green beans.
Although we love to make scape pesto and other recipes, sometimes simple is best. Freezing your leftover scapes makes it easy to add them to egg casseroles, pasta dishes, and much more for a taste of summer, even during the winter months. It’s one of my favorite ways to preserve them for later, and it couldn’t be much easier!
I love garlic scapes and have several recipes for making the most of this seasonal treat! Try my 3-ingredient garlic scape compound butter to spread over toast or steaks, or explore these 20+ garlic scape recipes to find a new family favorite.
Can you freeze garlic scapes?
Yes! The freezer is your friend, especially when it comes to garlic scapes. You can freeze scape butter, pesto, roasted scapes, and more, but I often like to freeze the scapes on their own to add to recipes later on.
This method is quick and easy, and you can easily freeze as much (or as little) as you’d like! I do recommend blanching the scape pieces for long-term storage, but this is optional if you plan to use the scapes relatively soon.
What you’ll love freezing garlic scapes
- Preserve the harvest – We aren’t about to let garlic scapes go bad around here! These special veggies are a delicacy. If you don’t have time to make garlic scape butter or aren’t sure how you want to use your harvest, this simple technique is perfect for you!
- Quick and easy – Once the scapes are trimmed, quickly blanch and cool them, then dry and freeze. It sounds more complicated than it is. Just follow the easy step-by-step instructions below and you’ll be set up for success.
- Versatile ingredient – This is the best way to preserve scapes to use in other recipes. Pickled scapes or butter are great, but these frozen scapes contain one single ingredient. This means you can enjoy the mild flavor of garlic scapes in countless different ways, and you don’t have to decide what to do with them yet. Easy!
Equipment
To freeze your own garlic scapes, you’ll need:
- Cutting board
- Sharp knife
- Dutch oven or medium saucepan
- Large bowl
- Fine mesh strainer (I used a large metal strainer I could fit right in my pot; highly recommended)
- Clean kitchen towel
- Half sheet pan or other rimmed cookie sheet
- Parchment paper or silicone mat (for freezing; optional)
- Freezer-safe containers
Ingredients
- Fresh garlic scapes – Washed, trimmed, and cut into 1-2 inch pieces. Avoid any scapes that seem tried out or woody.
How to Freeze Garlic Scapes
1. Wash and dry your garlic scapes, then remove the flower bud and an inch of the stem (the woody section). Trim the scapes into 1-2 inch pieces.
2. Fill a dutch oven or large saucepan halfway with water and place it over medium heat. Let the water come to a simmer.
3. While the water is heating, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cool water and a handful of ice cubes.
4. When ready, place the scapes into a large fine mesh strainer and place them into the boiling water. Allow the scapes to cook for 2-3 minutes or until bright green.
5. Remove the strainer from the pot and place it directly into the cold water bath. The handle may be hot, so use an oven glove if needed. Allow the scape pieces to cool down completely, then strain off the extra water and place them on a clean kitchen towel to dry.
6. Continue blanching the scapes as needed until you have used all of your scapes. If the cold water begins to warm up, replenish it with extra ice water.
7. Once dried, arrange the blanched scape pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm.
8. Transfer the scape pieces to a freezer bag or container and freeze for 3-6 months. Use as desired.
Storing Suggestions
For the best flavor, I recommend vacuum-sealing the bags of frozen scapes. They will stay fresh for up to 1 year like this! As you can see in the pictures, I froze mine in a wide-mouth glass mason jar. This is an easy, plastic-free option but the jars will only stay fresh for a couple of months.
However, you can really use any airtight container. The more insulated, the better.
Tips & Variations
- Instead of blanching the scapes, you can blend them into small pieces in the food processor, then transfer the pieces to ice cube trays. Cover with olive oil and freeze solid. These cubes can be used to add to pasta, eggs, and other recipes whenever you need them!
- Adjust the sizing. You can use this method with as many or as few scapes as you want. There’s no limit here. Pack gallon bags full of scapes or make enough for a small jar. It’s up to you.
- Skip the blanching. If you know you’ll be eating these scapes within a month or two, feel free to freeze them without blanching.
How to Use Frozen Scapes
Once frozen, these scapes are similar to frozen green beans, except with a lot more flavor. You can roast them, sautee them, stir fry them, bake them into breakfast casseroles or quiches, and more!
More Scape Recipes
Can’t get enough garlic scapes? Me neither! Here are some of my favorite recipes:
FAQs
No, but I recommend it to make them easier to cook later and to preserve the color and texture. It’s a simple process and only takes a few minutes. If you know you’ll be eating the scapes in the next month or two, you can skip this step.
Related Recipes
- How to Freeze Blackberries & Marionberries
- Freezing Raspberries
- How to Freeze Jalapenos
- How to Freeze Cranberries
- Freezing Pumpkin
- How to Freeze Blueberries
Get the Free Food Preservation Email Challenge!
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How to Freeze Garlic Scapes
Equipment
- Large bowl
- fine-mesh strainer large; metal
- clean kitchen towel
- Half sheet tray lined with parchment or a silicone mat
- freezer-safe container
Ingredients
- 20 garlic scapes, use as many scapes as you would like
Instructions
- Wash and dry your garlic scapes, then remove the flower bud and an inch of the stem (the woody section). Trim the scapes into 1-2 inch pieces.
- Fill a dutch oven or large saucepan halfway with water and place it over medium heat. Let the water come to a simmer.
- While the water is heating, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl with cool water and a handful of ice cubes.
- When ready, place the scapes into a large fine mesh strainer and place them into the boiling water. Allow the scapes to cook for 2-3 minutes or until bright green.
- Remove the strainer from the pot and place it directly into the cold water bath. The handle may be hot, so use an oven glove if needed. Allow the scape pieces to cool down completely, then strain off the extra water and place them on a clean kitchen towel to dry.
- Continue blanching the scapes as needed until you have used all of your scapes. If the cold water begins to warm up, replenish it with extra ice water.
- Once dried, arrange the blanched scape pieces in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Freeze for 1-2 hours or until firm.
- Transfer the scape pieces to a freezer bag or container and freeze for 3-6 months. Use as desired.