The garlic scape is the flower that grows out of the plant.  If you pick this flower before it is mature, you will give your garlic bulb more energy to grow larger and stronger.  If you do not pick this flower, the flower will go from curly to straight and produce tiny little garlic seeds. Some growers believe that if you leave the scape on the plant you will extend the shelf life of the garlic. 

We would rather have a larger yeild and a slightly shorter shelf life.  So we pick the garlic scapes.  Plus, who would want to waste those delicious scapes! You can use them in a ton of different recipes from simple roasting, grilling and stir frys to dipping them in tempura batter.  Don't forget to try our delicous Scape Pesto - Sole Verde, it sells out fast!

Picking the scapes before they are overgrown.  You need to pick them after they have curled- usually after they have completed one complete curled circle.  Try not to pick them too early or they will keep growing.  However, it is definitely worse to pick them too late or they will be too tough to eat.