Garlic and Garlic Pesto

 Way back in October of 2016 I planted garlic.

Breaking off cloves you plant each clove.

 My garden of garlic.

 You will see the garlic growing in the spring. A fun sight in the garden, green in early spring!

 As the garlic continues to grow. It will form a scape.

The scape is the flower that emerges from the middle of the garlic stalk. The theory behind harvesting them is that it forces the garlic to put its energy towards making a bigger bulb instead of making a flower. I harvest mine when they just start to curl themselves into a circle. The longer you wait the spicier and tougher the scapes become.

With my garlic scapes, I make garlic pesto.

 Garlic Pesto

2 cups garlic scapes, roughly chopped

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup walnuts

Pinch of salt

Pinch of pepper

1/2 - 3/4 cup of olive oil or sunflower oil

*note: feel free to mix in other herbs like basil, mint, cilantro, parsley or even kale to make the pesto more mild. We love garlic, so we do not mind!!

1. Add garlic scapes, Parmesan, walnuts, salt, and black pepper to food processor and scrape sides to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.

2. Turn on processor slowly add 1/2 cup oil. Once added, stop the processor and scrape sides to make sure all ingredients are incorporated.

3. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

4. If pesto is thick,  add more oil while the processor is running.

5. Process pesto once more until it is creamy, about 1 minute.

6. Load the pesto into your preferred containers and store in your chest freezer for up to a year.

We enjoy using our pest for a dip with pretzels or chips.

We also use on homemade pizza.

The link below is where I found helpful tips on growing garlic and the pesto recipe.

Creative Vegetable Gardener