I could be wrong BR but I think from OldJimbo and Robson Valley's comments, the point isn't to preserve the scapes as such, but rather to infuse the vinegar with their flavor. Hopefully they'll either correct or confirm this for us.
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Other than the vinegar which will last and some people like, the scapes are a very seasonal treat and gone in a flash, probably due to our condensed growing season here. I'd never heard or thought of preserving them..
Get this, literally: I buy 1 liter jars of preserved/vacuum-sealed garlic scape pieces from a vendor in the local Farmers' Market = I eat them as pickles.
Our definition of "pickle" ain't "Branston Pickle." We use a mix of salt & vinegar, sometimes some seed/herb mix, for a boiling-water process preservation with
vacuum-sealed lids. No silliness with rubber jar rings and so forth (not for the past 50 years in Canada.) Have a look at Bernardin canning supplies.
At this same time, as of last week's market, I could have bought bundles of scapes but I have no desire to mess with them. I'm happy to wait until
the pickle-lady shows up. $20/liter.
People make green bean, carrot, sugar pea pod and cucumber vinegar/salt preserve pickles, what makes garlic scapes so weird? Nothing.
Our definition of "pickle" ain't "Branston Pickle." We use a mix of salt & vinegar, sometimes some seed/herb mix, for a boiling-water process preservation with
vacuum-sealed lids. No silliness with rubber jar rings and so forth (not for the past 50 years in Canada.) Have a look at Bernardin canning supplies.
At this same time, as of last week's market, I could have bought bundles of scapes but I have no desire to mess with them. I'm happy to wait until
the pickle-lady shows up. $20/liter.
People make green bean, carrot, sugar pea pod and cucumber vinegar/salt preserve pickles, what makes garlic scapes so weird? Nothing.
RV we do huge amounts of pickling. Nothing wrong in that. Water bath canning pickles is an exercise in redundancy though. As is refrigeration. Oh, water bath canning isn't a vacuum btw, just slightly low pressure and thermal setting glue.
No issue with spicing or brining the vinegar, just need someone to explain why it needs to be canned!
No issue with spicing or brining the vinegar, just need someone to explain why it needs to be canned!
I have never tried pickling them, I use them in stir fry and salads when the first few early ones show but the bulk of them are dried slightly and then used to flavour both Olive and Veg Oil. The important thing whatever way you choose to use them is to harvest them at the right time, they tend to go 'woody' quite quickly if left to long.
DB
DB
Yeah, you'd think so wouldn't you? Just thinking that maybe if flavor infusion is the main point then maybe the cook wouldn't necessarily be fastidious enough with the other steps to trust the preservation. Preservation should still be a by product of the process, just not to the point you'd necessarily trust it maybe?
I'm just throwing guesses out to be honest.
It's a weird thing. I can. I can a lot. But I understand food science sufficiently not to bother canning pickles, jellies etc. There are far better jars than canning jars for containing such preserves.
The preservation technology(?) behind the jars of garlic scapes that I buy probably has more to do with rules for offering foods for sale.
What those are, I can only guess.
At the end of the day, I can say that garlic scapes are extremely good to eat.
What those are, I can only guess.
At the end of the day, I can say that garlic scapes are extremely good to eat.
No argument there. Stir fried with chilli, soy sauce, a touch of brown sugar, some tiger prawns and egg noodles for me!
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