My attempt to document the planting, growth, harvesting, and preserving of our family’s 8000 square feet of garden.
Northeast Iowa Gardening in growing zone 4
Last frost date May15, First frost date September 15
Middle of June, we are up top our ears in eating fresh veggies as fast as we can! Salads are served at every meal and mornings and evenings are spent weeding and supporting crops. The corn seems to double in size every week in June, and the countryside is now covered in a blanket of green and the brown earth has all but disappeared.
Garlic scapes are really garlic blossoms. Like all plants, garlic is biologically designed to reproduce! When is maturity reached (accumulated heat requirements are met) the central growth tip of the bulb shifts from creating layers of leaves/foliage into pushing up a single ridged flower stem. At the top pf this rigid stem is the scape or flower pod. inside this pod are little, tiny garlic bulbs! Tiny little clones of the parent plant, different than plants that reproduce through pollination. These tiny, cloned garlic bulbs take 2-3 years to grow into the multi-cloved bulbs that we are familiar with.
To preproduce by making tiny clones of itself takes a lot of energy and by removing the scape we allow the plant to put more of its energy into growing a bulb. Removing the scapes from the plant grows bulbs that are 20-35% larger than bulbs that grow under plants where scapes were not removed.
I like to remove garlic scapes when they are between horseshoe and complete circle shaped. But I don’t stress about it being perfect timing. If I harvest too late, I will just have more woody scape stems to discard.
Like I said in this week’s garden tour YouTube video “Sometimes I think that gardeners who really love gardening make up things to do in the garden!” Here is another one of those things. If you don’t remove your garlic scapes you will still get a garlic harvest! No stress no worries. Unless you are entering your garlic bulbs into the county fair to win larges garlic bulbs, then you may stress over removing the scapes at the correct time!
To dehydrate: Chop the scapes up into uniform pieces, removing woody ends that feel tough when you cut them. Place into dehydrator at 115°F.-135°F. for 8-24 hours, depending on how big your pieces are. Scapes are ready to grind into powder when they are brittle.
Place dried scapes into a blender and blend until a fine powder consistency is reached.
Scape powder is a bit milder and sweeter than traditional garlic powder.
To make a garlic scape salt: Place 1-part powdered scapes to 3 parts salt and pulse in a coffee grinder, blender or food processor, 3-5 times to incorporate the salt and powder but not grind the salt into a powder. Taste and tweak to your liking.
To make garlic butter scoops.
Mix 1 to 2 parts garlic scape salt per 6 parts butter or ghee and scoop by tablespoon or teaspoon full onto a cookie sheet and flash freeze. Place frozen garlic butter scoops into a freezer bag and store in freezer. Use to top steaks or eggs or to make garlic toast.
It is easy for me to start playing the ‘What-if’ game this time of year. I can see the harvest hanging there but it is not time to harvest. The grape arbor is loaded and shows great promise. Apples and cherries are hanging; red raspberries plants are bushy and thriving. And yet at any moment we could lose the harvest to things that are beyond our control. Storms, drought, spray drift from surrounding fields, and more. Every day, I look at the fruit that is hanging and the minute the what-ifs start entering my head I remind myself that God is a good God with these verses from Isaiah 65:21-23
21 They will build houses and dwell in them;
they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit.
22 No longer will they build houses and others live in them,
or plant and others eat.
For as the days of a tree,
so will be the days of my people;
my chosen ones will long enjoy
the work of their hands.
23 They will not labor in vain,
nor will they bear children doomed to misfortune;
for they will be a people blessed by the Lord,
they and their descendants with them.
And if we don’t get a harvest this year, we know that He is still Good and He still Loves us and He has a better plan for us.
As I work in the garden, I softly talk to the plants that are burdened with blossoms and fruit, having faith that this season’s harvest will fill our family’s stores and provide nourishment for the next 12-18 months and the experiences of this growing season serve as lasting spiritual pillars to strengthen my personal growth.
