Wild Bears Garlic

The Secret Life of Garlic: The Great Scapes

A few years ago this bizarre vegetable started showing up in our June CSA farm share box — long and green, almost as big around as an asparagus but with one end pointed like a tall papal mitre. Tasting of garlic, these, we learned, were garlic scapes .

The botanical definition of a scape is: "a leafless stalk in plants that arises from a rosette of leaves and bears one or more flowers." For example, a tulip is a scape.

In garlic, that tall stem with the conical hat turns into what Richard Andres of Tantre Farm says "is really an aerial bulb that will fall over, like a walking onion, and will re-sprout itself. If you don't take those off, you reduce your garlic bulb by about 30 percent."

So delicious garlic scapes are harvested as a way of ensuring that the underground bulb of the garlic plant will grow big and sturdy.

Diana Dyer, who with her husband Dick grows 42 varieties of " Dick's Pretty Good Garlic " at the Dyer Family Organic Farm , says when they harvest scapes "we are very careful about not injuring the top leaf (of the garlic plant), because we want all that solar energy being collected and going down into forming a large healthy, robust bulb."

Making sure that garlic bulbs will "size up" for the harvest starting in July means there are thousands of scapes to pull in June. Andres notes, "The interns say it's the funnest thing they thing they ever did — the funnest job ever — to tug on the scapes and try to get the longest scape you can. We have contests out in the field to to see who can get the longest stem before you break one. Katie got about 30 before she broke one."

There's a certain technique he describes, "You want to pull them very carefully, ease them out. First you pull, then release it, and pull again. They make a small groaning noise when they come out."

Even before scapes comes the green garlic, which is harvested for the same reason — making sure that the main bulb is big and healthy. Richard Andres says that green garlic is "just a young garlic plant that has over-wintered and hasn't really formed a bulb yet, like a green onion."

According to Diana Dyer, "Green garlic is milder. and it's so pretty. You can use the whole thing — you can use the green tops, which add color and flavor. And it's the first garlic of the season. That's why chefs are crazy about it. We never even take it to market. Literally, chefs stand in line for it.

enticing bears « Garlic Pig

I was laying in bed the other morning debating the merits of getting up versus staying hunkered in for a few more minutes when I heard an unmistakable noise outside the front windows. It was the sound of “someone” getting into “something.” Debate over. I got up to investigate with Hoops the cat in tow and discovered a mama bear with two cubs rooting around our little shed. Mom was standing up on hind legs helping herself to the remains of an autumnal display window box that I hadn’t got around to cleaning out yet. The kids were busy sticking their noses into buckets and knocking over flower pots. The whole trio was adorably cute.

Hoops has seen his fair share of bears and there is a reason why he has lived to see 14 years. He retreated immediately and waited uncharacteristically patiently for breakfast to be served. Meanwhile, I fumbled with my camera, forgetting that it was set on full manual mode. Needless to say, most of my shots were as foggy as my morning brain. Photos or not, I decided watching the bears’ shenanigans was a delightful way to wake up and start the day. But when mom stood up tall to knock out a glass block window and junior started swinging from the window box, my husband Mark decided it was time to bust up the fun. He shooed them away. Mom ran off but the kids followed their instincts and went straight for the nearest tree. Eventually they shimmied down to chase after mom.

Coffee in hand and brain fully awake I headed out for a tour of the estate. I had foolishly left some bee equipment in the yard – most of which is now punctured with cute little claw and teeth marks. The bird bath was upturned and one of the pond plants had been uprooted. The goldfish looked nervous. I laughed. Basically, the yard and garden looked like the aftermath of a big ol’ party. A black bear party. It looked like a good time. I wish I could have attended.

All in all, they were fairly well behaved guests. Sure, they chewed on a few dried up old gourds, sampled some flowers, and had a taste of what I can only imagine is divine smelling bee equipment. But the important thing is this: they didn’t touch the spinach. All three rows were upright and perky upon inspection. Which is good. Because I had designs on making my favorite spring spinach pie for dinner. The dill appeared to be in good shape too. Another point for the bears. I’m not saying I want our yard to become the new party shack or anything, but at least they had the sense not to mess with the spinach. I’ll give them that much.

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