Is there any use for garlic stems (not scapes) after harvesting the garlic? I am using a different method than I usually do to cure garlic; I cut of the stems and leaves, leaving only 6 inches attached to the bulb. I also have a fan moving air over them intermittently. Now I have these stems and leaves. Has anyone ever dehydrated them or used them for flavoring broth or anything else?
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I found some scapes on top of a compost pile at my community garden.
They were too far along to eat, too tough.
I put them in a pressure cooker with oil and water on high for an hour
It made nice infused oil.
Thanks for the ideas, definitely worth trying. I'm also thing of dehydrating and grinding one and see how it tastes as a seasoning.
I choose...to be the best me I can be, to be the strongest me I can be, to learn the most I can. I don't know what comes next. But I'm gonna go into it balls to the walls, flames in my hair, and full speed ahead.
making scallion oil or using in making chinese chili oil is what i would do with ones that are too fibrous to eat. that thread above has some good ideas, they're really tasty additions to anything where you need an allium, I think.
Susan Mené
gardener
Posts: 727
Location: Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)
So, here's the results:
The upper tough leaves: dehydrated there was no flavor, yuck; when fresh they had a little flavor, but were really fibrous and impossible to chew. In my opinion, fodder for compost or for whatever critter who might be interested.
The lower stems: some were diced up and added to a new batch of cowboy candy. I already sampled some from the jar below (as you can see), and while I can't taste 'em I didn't waste 'em! The most flavorful use was to chop the tough upper top leaves off and use the flavorful lower stems like green onion in scrambled eggs, salads, etc. Sometimes it was necessary to remove the center of the stems if they were woody (in the pics below, the white center), one chop at the bottom tells all, if the center was hard I slit the stem lengthwise, removed the hard white center and used the outer green. If the center was soft and white, I left it in.
Overall, garlic stems are a tasty, useful find for a low-waste cook!
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Tough upper leaves from stem
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lower stem, remove white center if it has woody texture
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yummy, with sliced garlic stem
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