RECIPE: Garlic Scape Bulbils - what they are, how to save them, how to use them.

This is a first for me - harvesting bulbils from the garlic scape seedpods! 

 

The seed pods at the ends of the fresh garlic scapes were small and tight.  When I opened one there was just fuzz inside (sorry, no photo).  I wondered what would happen if I let them mature so I left a bunch in a large bowl on my counter for 6 weeks until they were totally dry, and WOW, look at what happened!  

 

Garlic Scape Bulbils - what they are, 

how to save them, how to use them.

 

Dried garlic scapes with mature heads

Inside each of those pods at the end of the garlic scape are dozens of tiny garlic bulbils - seeds!

 

Garlic BULBILS from the pods at the end of garlic scapes

Each one of these is like a little garlic bomb!  So STRONG, one tiny taste stayed with me all evening.  

 

Apparently, every garlic variety produces a different size bulbil.  Some are as big as blueberries!  Ours are more like grains of rice.

 

This site says if they never touched the ground there is zero chance of botulism contamination!

 

This site says you can plant them and grow garlic chives. 

This site lists ways you can cook with them (the bulbil skin is thin so you can use whole and unpeeled.):

1. Sprinkle raw on your salad or cooked greens to add a wonderfully crunchy garnish.
2. Add to stir fries for a pop of flavor.
3. Sprout the small bulbils the same way you would sprout other seeds. Use on salads or in stir fries.
   
4. Pickle in a refrigerator vinegar brine with a touch of sugar for an exotic topping.
5. Stir into a stew or soup to add savory bites.
6. Mix into dips for a surprising burst of garlic.
7. Flatten the bulbils by putting between two sheets of waxed paper and using a rolling pin. Dehydrate the small morsels for both flavor and crunchy texture.

Sweating them in a little butter calmed their spiciness, as did soaking them in lemon juice.  Either method makes them delicious for use right away. 

 

Garlic BULBILS fallen off the garlic scape heads

To store them, I gathered the ones that had fallen off the pods naturally and were collecting in the bottom of my bowl.  I spread them out on a half-sheet pan and let them air overnight.  

 

Garlic BULBILS drying overnight

The next day I separated them into 3 piles: 

 

one pile went into a vacuum-sealed bag in the freezer, 

one pile went into the dehydrator, and

 one pile went into the fridge.

 

The bulbils that I pried off the heads manually were smaller, and more sticky, so I spread them on a different half-sheet pan, let them air overnight, and the next day transferred them to a miron jar in the fridge.  

 

My plan is to compare how all of them age, and the best ways to use them at their different stages.  

 

I can envision scattering some of the frozen ones into chili or pasta sauce instead of mincing fresh garlic.  I can envision adding the younger bulbils to hummus or pesto, all without have to mince or grate.

 

If you have any experience with these little wonders, PLEASE SHARE IT WITH ME!!