We got okra when the CSA first started three years ago. It was my favorite, but it isn’t happening anymore so I think scapes are the new winners. Or maybe fresh mint or swiss chard . . . anyway this is about SCAPES! I was so excited to see them this week. I brought mine home and sauteed them in oil with chard and mixed them with farro and topped it with some Grana Padano. It was so good. Last year when we got them an article about them came out in the Times the next day and from it I learned this:
-Scapes are the flower shoot of the garlic bulb.
-Farmers cut them off to make the garlic grow plumper. (Remember how plump and juicy our CSA garlic is. Do scapes mean garlic is coming soon? I hope so.)
-The harvest is mid June. (Might we get more this week?)
-It is pretty recent that they have gained a following. They used to be discarded(!).
Check out some more info and recipes in this article from last year.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/18/dining/18appe.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=garlic%20scapes&st=cse
