Loop de Loop

The garlic scapes are just starting to make their first loops. I reckon I'll cut them off within a week and find something yummy to make with them.

You've never heard of garlic scapes?! What?!

Before we moved here and started frequenting the farmers' markets, I hadn't either. The scape is the part of the plant that'll make flowers, if you leave it alone. Most folks don't want the plant to use its energy making flowers--they want the energy to go to making bulbs--so they cut off the stalk (scape) well before it flowers. The scapes used to be thrown away, but now they're considered a gourmet treat, sold at farmers' markets and better grocery stores for their mild, garlic flavor.

Here's some more fancy-pants food snob garlic scape knowledge for ya: Only the hard neck varieties form scapes; the soft neck varieties don't. For more on the differences between hard and soft neck varieties, you'll have to do your own googling, 'cause I'm all outta garlic talk for now.