Green Garlic Relish
If you like garlic- and who doesn’t love garlic- this green garlic relish is the perfect way to add a little more garlicky goodness. This recipe can be made with either green garlic, garlic scapes, or a combination and is perfect for home gardeners as they thin and trim back their garlic plants. It’s sweet, salty, and tart, with a bit of caraway flavor, and a lot of garlic.
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All About Green Garlic
I’ve written recipes using garlic scapes before, but never green garlic. Now don’t get it wrong, you absolutely can use garlic scapes in this recipe but it was made with green garlic in mind. The difference? Green garlic is the name for young, immature garlic plants where the bulb hasn’t developed. It’s entirely edible, although the leaves may get a little tough over time. It has a milder flavor than garlic cloves, somewhere between garlic and scallions. Garlic scapes come from hardneck varieties of garlic, and if left on the plant will eventually turn into a flower. It is recommended that you remove the scapes, so your garlic plants put energy into developing the bulb rather an a showy flower. Garlic scapes are crunchier than green garlic, but both can be used here.
I’ve been using lots of green garlic this year. I took over a garden patch that had been neglected over the years, and every inch of the 660 square feet were covered in weeds and green garlic, growing so tightly together it could never form bulbs. The whole garlic had an underlying garlic odor. Feeling a bit regretful, but also needing to clear space to plant tomatoes and such, I ripped out early green garlic by the bucketful. I’ve been using it in everything, as well as freezing some, pickling some more, and now making this relish.
Green garlic can be used like a milder garlic, or a more garlicky scallion. The whole plant is edible (minus, perhaps, the small roots). Older leaves may be tougher and more fibrous- as long as they are still green and not dried out, when used in a recipe like this one where they are blended it should be fine. The young neck has a stronger flavor, and a texture more similar to garlic although is milder and fresher tasting.
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Green Garlic Relish Tips and Tricks
- Use a food processor to get the green garlic as finely chopped as possible, otherwise your relish may be fibrous. I also found it helped to process the relish again once cooked, to get a finer chop and a more integrated brine.
- Taste the salt and sugar levels in the brine before adding the garlic scapes- if you prefer a relish a little saltier or sweeter, it’s the easiest time to make an adjustment.
- This recipe makes about 2 cups of relish, and has not been tested for canning safety.
- Relish is great on vegan hotdogs, like this. It’s also excellent for burgers, mixed into macaroni or pasta salads, on sandwiches, in salad dressings, or mixed with a vegan yogurt for a tzatziki-like dip.
Green Garlic Relish
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. green garlic or garlic scapes
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 3/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. salt, or to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1 tsp. caraway seeds
Instructions
- Combine the onion and green garlic and/or garlic scapes in a food processor, and process until finely chopped, stopping and scraping down the sides as needed. You can add up to 1/4 cup water here to help it process.
- In a large saucepan, add the apple cider vinegar, sugar, salt, and spices. Heat, stirring, until the salt and sugar dissolves. Add the processed garlic, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, so the green garlic has softened.
- For a smoother relish, return the relish to your food processor and briefly process to bring it all together. Transfer to an airtight jar or container, and store in the fridge.
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