Valley Bounty: Green Garlic

Many of us did not grow up eating garlic in its several forms—in my house, for example, we knew it best as powder. Right now, many farmers are selling the immature bulb and greens, called green or spring garlic. The skin separating the cloves hasn’t yet grown papery or tough, the flavor is mild, and you can slice up both white end and green top and use it anywhere you’d use garlic. I like to grill the full stalks with asparagus, tossed with oil, salt and pepper. Soon, we’ll have curly garlic scapes, the garlic’s flower stalk, and a few weeks later the fresh, potent, full-grown bulbs.

By Margaret Christie of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture (CISA).

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Farmers’ markets and farmstands are good places to find green garlic and, later, garlic scapes. Some retailers that prioritize local sourcing may also have them. Our full list of garlic growers is here.