I grow my own garlic.

Of course I do. I know, I know, obnoxious, right? Are you tired yet of reading about the stuff I do beyond the ordinary, the unusual stuff? I hope not.

I do it because I like trying different stuff, the things my cooking sensei, the extraordinary Martin Betonio, late of the Fountainbleau Hotel and the Epicure Market in Miami Beach, encouraged me to try—and occasionally fail—to make me a better and more rounded chef.

Martin was my spirit guide.

So…garlic…

First off, you should try it. Doesn’t take much space; my garlic patch is four feet by four feet, with about 50 fragrant hard-neck heads, due to harvest in mid to late June. With very little effort. And there’s plenty of sources of seed garlic, at your local garden center or on the Internet. And do a little bit of research. Just a little, and don’t be afraid.

Simply jam a bunch of seed cloves about six inches deep into composted soil about six to eight weeks before the ground freezes (I’m in central PA), cover with soil and lots of mulch; I use a straw bale, plentiful and cheap in late fall. The cloves will sprout leaves; leave ’em be. Then wait till spring. A couple of feedings with blood meal and lots of spring rain, and before you know it, it’s garlic season.

Can’t wait till late June? It’s still April here, and any day now the scapes will appear. Scapes, you say? What’s that? The scapes are the plant’s flower buds, like the flowers that shoot out of tulip bulbs. They’re attractive, but don’t let them grow. When the buds appear, cut them off at the base; the plant will turn its energy toward the bulbs, so that they grow fat. The bulbs are the gold, anyway—big heads of lovely, tasty garlic, ready when most of the green shoots turn yellow and brown. Then dig ‘em up (carefully, so you don’t damage them, clean most of the dirt off, and hang them by the greens to dry in a cool basement. They’ll keep a long time; mine last mostly through the winter, and the flavor and aroma are vastly superior to that grocery-store stuff—which probably comes from China on boats (imagine how much Chinese garlic will cost this fall (thanks, Donald).

But wait…what to do with the scapes you just cut? Heavens, don’t throw them away. They make the most delicious pesto, with or without basil—I make mine without basil, and what a surprise. Just cut off the buds (toss them—not much you can do with them) and whizz them up with your usual pesto ingredients—Parmesan, lemon juice, salt, pepper, olive oil, and dip with chips or smother a bunch of pasta and enjoy.

Here’s the plan:

Ingredients:

• 1 pound garlic scapes, cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Kosher salt andground black pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Blend garlic scapes, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, lemon juice, and pepper together in a food processor until smooth.

Recipe tip:

Garlic scapes are abundant at farmers’ markets and CSAs (community-supported agriculture shares) in spring.

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 10 mins

Servings: 28 

Yield: 3 1/2 cups