Pickled Garlic Scapes
Pickled garlic scapes are succulent, salty, and deliciously garlicky. They are perfect on pasta, delicious in a salad, or served with crackers and cheese. See the section above for more serving options.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 1 pint jar 1x
- Category: Pickles
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: French
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 2 cups of garlic scapes (or as many as you can find)
- 1 1/2 tsp salt (non-iodized)
- 1 1/2 cups filtered water (chlorine-free)
- 2 Tbsp of raw apple cider vinegar (see notes)
Instructions
- Decide whether you want to pickle the scapes whole or dice them into bite-sized bits. Keeping the curls whole will require more brine. The brine above should be enough for a pint-sized (1/2 L) jar of whole garlic scape curls.
- Mix the salt, water, and apple cider vinegar in the bottom of a jar.
- If you are keeping the curls whole, nest them together and carefully pack them into the jar. Otherwise, simply add the diced garlic scapes to a jar.
- Use a weight to keep the scapes below the brine, and add more water if required to keep the scapes submerged.
- Place the jar somewhere cool and dark (a kitchen cupboard is perfect). Let them ferment for 1-2 weeks. It will depend on your taste. The scapes will soften and become milder the longer they ferment.
Notes
- Apple cider vinegar is the starter culture for this ferment. So it’s important to use raw, unpasteurized vinegar with a mother. You can also use strong brewed kombucha, sauerkraut juice, or a purchased vegetable starter. While vegetables don’t need a culture to ferment, I have found that scapes usually need a little boost to get them started.
- I usually ferment in a fido
to prevent contamination with this very special crop. You could also use a mason jar
with a pickle-pipe
lid. Or if you want to go low-tech, just cover your ferment with a clean cloth. As long as the scapes remain below the salty brine, mold won’t be able to contaminate them.
- I have to give credit to a local fermenting maven for inspiring me to ferment my scapes!
Keywords: garlic scapes, summer, spring, June, probiotic, vegan, keto, paleo, whole 30, gluten free, diary free, egg free, nut free