Zesty Dill Garlic Scape Relish
I’ve never liked relish much- it’s sweet, flavorless, and boring. But this relish for sure is not! It’s a garlic scape relish that has very little sugar and a whole lot of sourness, along with dill, parsley, and of course garlic scapes. What can I say- I’ve never been a fan of bread and butter pickles, and I like my relish like I like my pickles. Tart, dilled, and garlicky. Make up a jar and enjoy on veggie burgers, sandwiches and more.
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What are Garlic Scapes?
Garlic is a global superstar in its bulb form, typically harvested in late summer. However, you might not be familiar with another edible part of the garlic plant called the garlic scape. These scapes are harvested during the spring. They have a slender, twisting shapes with a light green color and a bud-like structure that would have turned into a garlic flower if not picked. At the top, they come to a point. Garlic scapes possess a delightful garlicky taste, not as strong as the bulbs but equally delicious, along with a fresh, green, vegetal quality. It’s worth noting that only certain types of garlic, known as hard-neck garlic, produce scapes. These varieties are commonly grown by smaller farmers and are less commonly found in grocery stores. Removing the scapes is necessary to divert the plant’s energy towards developing the bulbs rather than other plant parts. By purchasing garlic scapes, you can support local farmers before they can harvest their garlic bulbs. When stored in a plastic bag in the fridge, garlic scapes remain in good condition for a reasonable amount of time. However, they don’t last as long as garlic bulbs, which is why they are only available for a short period in late spring or early summer.
Looking for Garlic Scape Recipes? Try one of these!
- Garlic Scape Fermented Hot Sauce
- White Bean Salad with Roasted Garlic Scapes Recipe
- Seasonal Vegan Spinach and Garlic Scape Pesto
- Garlic Scape Sweet Potato Pakoras or Fritters (Vegan)
Looking for Relishes, Chutney, and More? Try one of these!
- Sweet and Briney Kelp Relish
- Golden Relish- Fresh Turmeric Recipe
- Zesty Vegan Kumquat Salsa Recipe
- Briny Summer Burdock Stalk Tapenade
- Rosehip Thanksgiving Cranberry Sauce
- Invasive Japanese Knotweed Vegan Chutney
- Foraged Rosehip Ketchup
How to Make Garlic Scape Relish
This garlic scape relish is a great way to enjoy garlic scapes, especially if you (like me) got a batch of scapes that weren’t as tender as you might like. It uses four ounces of garlic scapes, and to break up that garlicky flavor it’s paired with hakurei turnips. Hakurei turnips are crisp, tender, and a little sweet. If you can’t find them, you could substitute them with radishes, although they will have a lot more bite. To get a uniform texture in your relish, you’re going to want to combine the garlic scapes with the turnips, jalapeños, and ginger in a food processor to mince them- don’t over process them and turn into a puree, but get it all so it looks kind of minced or grated.
Set that aside and start on the brine. This is a really sour, sharp relish, with the brine made up mostly of apple cider vinegar. In addition there’s a little water, sugar, salt, parsley, dill, and mustard. Heat it up together, and bring it up to a simmer. Throw the vegetables into the brine, and let it simmer for a few minutes to gently cook the turnips and scapes.
If you stop now, you’ll have a delicious relish but there will be some separation between the chunky vegetable bits and the liquid brine. Which is totally fine, if you’re fine with that. I chose to thicken mine with xanthan gum, a thickener that is gluten-free and works independently of heat. I know it’s not something that most people likely have on hand, but if you do want to invest in some you can get it online and it’s an ingredient I’ve found to be useful in sauces, gluten-free baking, and more.
Once the relish is made, transfer to a jar or container and store in the fridge. It’s excellent on veggie dogs, sandwiches, and burgers. Try adding a spoonful or two to dressings, pastas, and potato salads. I’ll even use it as a flavoring in a pot of beans!
Zesty Dill Garlic Scape Relish
Ingredients
- 4 oz. garlic scapes
- 4 oz. hakurei turnip (or similar)
- ½ large jalapeño
- 1 tsp. minced ginger
- 1 ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tbsp. granulated sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. dried dill
- 1 tsp. dried parsley
- 1 tsp. ground mustard
- ½ tsp. xanthan gum (optional)
Instructions
- Roughly chop the garlic scapes, turnips, jalapeño, and ginger and put them in a food processor. Process until the ingredients are thinly minced, but not pureed.
- Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, dill, parsley, and mustard to a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar. Add the minced vegetables, and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. If using xanthan gum, add and whisk to thicken.
- Allow to cool and transfer to a jar. Place in the fridge and enjoy as desired.
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