Meme Lou's Pickled Garlic Scapes

Garlic Scapes are the flower shoots of garlic. I received a great picture and recipe from Meme Lou who said:

"I raise 4 rows X 40 foot long of garlic, so I have lots of scapes! They have mild garlic flavor & are very tender when cooked. So I was excited to find the pickling recipes."

"I combined 2 recipes. One recipe was from a blog and for only 1 pint. The other was from 2 Sisters Garlic and I was not comfortable with the proportion of vinegar & water and called for 45 min. of processing. When I finished, I wrote up what I did for next year. Attached is the recipe I came up with today when I finished."
"I put up these pickled garlic scapes using fresh basil & chili flakes for half then fresh dill & black peppercorns for the rest." 

This recipe looks amazing in the jars and the proportions that Meme Lou used were perfect. I want to thank her for sharing her recipe and pictures with me to give to all of my readers. Enjoy!

Meme Lou’s Pickled Garlic Scapes

Choose your flavor--- basil with chili pepper flakes or dill with black 
peppercorns.

Ingredients:
1 lb. or more Garlic scapes, whole
5 cups vinegar
5 cups water
½ cup less 1 Tbsp. Pickling salt
Fresh basil leaves or Dill heads (or ½ tsp. dill seed)
Chili pepper flakes or Whole black peppercorns

Directions:
1. Rinse the scapes, trim off the hard bit end that formed at the original cut, and cut them into uniform shapes.  Cut the straight part to fit in a pint jar. Leave the curly part with flowers to round and shape into the jar.

2. Have jars clean and very hot, and lids and sealers ready in scalding water.  Prepare the boiling water bath canner.

3. In each jar, place 1 Fresh Basil Leaf and ¼ tsp. chili pepper flakes OR 1 Fresh Dill Head (or ½ tsp. dill seed) and ½ tsp. whole black pepper corns.  Pack the scapes into the jar, starting by rounding up the curly parts, then using the straight pieces to fill the center. Flower tips may be trimmed off if needed.  Leave about 1 inch of headroom.

4. Combine the vinegar, water and pickling salt in a pot and bring to a boil.  Slowly pour the hot brine over the garlic scapes, leaving ½ inch headspace.  Once the jar is full remove any air bubbles.  Check headspace again and add more brine if necessary.

5. Wipe the rim, apply the lid and ring and process in a Boiling Water Bath for 10 minutes.

6. Let the pickles cure at least 2 weeks to develop full flavor.  Makes 6 to 7 pints.