25 May 2020

Scapes


honeysuckle
After three days of buffeting gales the wind has finally dropped and we awoke to blue skies and
gorgeous sunshine.  We went out for an early bike ride and have then spent the rest of the day in the garden.  Some of the trees and shrubs look a little battered and bruised but it is amazing how resilient some of the plants are.  The foxgloves we planted back in the autumn managed to avoid being knocked over.



We had garlic scapes for lunch.  Paul is growing elephant garlic in his potager and before the bulbs are fully mature and ready to be harvested they produce long, curly scapes which hold the flower head of the plant.  They are delicious sautéed in oil and butter and have a very delicate garlic taste.

garlic scapes

Our first broad beans will be ready for harvesting soon, I like to eat them young and tender.  We are watching carefully to check they don’t become covered in black fly.  Then I shall be looking forward to picking the first French beans of the season.  I love this time of year!

I like to scatter chive flowers over my salads

17 comments:

  1. Love the idea with chive flowers.
    My garden largely escaped apart from my iris which I have been so looking forward to.

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    1. So nice now that the wind has died down. One of our neighbours lost all her delphiniums.

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  2. I had never heard of scapes before. Interesting. I bet it livened the ham and cheese up a bit.

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  3. So *that's* something I can try with the chives I planted last year ... thank you! -Kate

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    1. Scatter the petals - it makes a very pretty salad.

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  4. I know to cut the scapes back when they start to curl but usually make pesto. I think I will try your technique this year!

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    1. I hadn't thought about using them for pesto.

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  5. I recently put some Chive flowers on our lunchtime salad. I ate mine; Lady M didn't.

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    1. Did you shred them and scatter the petals or did you eat them whole?

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    2. Whole.... maybe I should have sprinkled them, that way she couldn't pick them out.

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  6. Your vegetable garden is way ahead of ours. I had never heard of "scapes". I guess you learn something new every day.

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    1. Goats that eat them become known as scapegoats.

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  7. I've never had garlic scapes in fact never heard of them, but your lunch looks delicious.

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  8. For some years I tried, unsuccessfully, to grow chives with no success - they always looked as though some bug had attacked them. Eventually I found out that the dog was eating them! They are supposed to be poisonous for dogs but he suffered no ill effects.
    You food always looks so delicious!

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    1. Luckily Rick doesn't show any interest in eating the garden!

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