Garlic tops, called flowers or garlic scapes are a gourmet delight . The entire stalk and flower are edible. They have a delicate flavor which gives a subtly different and delicious flavor and they are wonderful additions to stew, roasts, marinade, salads, sandwiches, sauces, bread, pasta, pesto, stir fry, roasted and it can be either steam whole and serve with melted butter like the asparagus or stir fry with shrimps. The possibilities are endless and this time, I decided to stir fry them with shrimps. Lovely flavor..simple to prepare , tasty and the natural sweetness from the shrimps and garlic scapes were the reason for me to have to two servings of rice :)
Garlic grows underground as a bulb. In its early stage, the bulb is soft and onion-like, but as it grows, it gets harder and pokes a shoot through the ground. Later on this shoot develops into a flower stalk that is the garlic scape. Harvesting the scape helps the garlic plant put more of its energy into the bulb (and become the garlic that we all know).
