Presto! Garlic Scape Pesto a snap to make

(Garlic Scape Pesto is a vibrant taste of spring)

Garlic scapes are one of spring's delicacies. Growing garlic in your backyard garden will yield more than fresh bulbs come late July - look to the top of the plant for a treat in spring. Nothing goes to waste growing this bodacious bulb.

(It's best to pick the garlic scapes before the flowers open)

I recently harvested the tops off my some 100 bulbs planted in the fall, which helps to send all the plant energy into making a bigger bulb, from what I've gathered over the years. It's best to pick the scapes when they are young and tender, rather than let the flower stalks open, which makes for a woodier stem.
I have been using the garlic scapes sauteed in dishes and raw in salads. Then I stumbled on Jes' recipe for Garlic Scape Pesto over at Cupcake Punk and knew what I would do next with this wonderful spring treat. Jes is a fun vegan cook who knows how to work a vegetable. Check out her blog if you haven't already.

This recipe comes together quickly with instant results. Simply whirl up the scapes in a food processor with some nuts and olive oil, and you have yourself a spread for breads or a sauce for pasta dishes, hot or cold.

(Garlic Scape Pesto is great on bread topped with fresh mozzarella, sliced grape tomatoes and fresh basil leaves)

We never got beyond the spread for bruschetta with this recipe, but I still have some in the refrigerator, which I covered in a little extra olive oil in a jar, and some in the freezer for winter, when a taste of spring will be a welcome addition to meals. Slather this pesto on bread and top with your favorite cheese, some fresh tomatoes, olives or whatever else you fancy.

I used toasted raw cashews in this recipe, but you can certainly use pignola nuts or toasted almonds or walnuts. I also added some grated Parmesan cheese, but you definitely can skip it, as the cashews lend a buttery, almost cheesy flavor to the scapes. Add more olive oil until you're happy with the consistency.

It's great to see the bright green of this pesto before the basil harvest comes later in the season, when traditional pesto is like the green gold of summer.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1. 20 garlic scapes
2. 1/4 cup toasted raw cashews
3. 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4. 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (you might need a little more to thin)
5. Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

• Pulse the scapes in the bowl of a food processor until broken up.
• Add the cashews; pulse again.
• Add the cheese and salt and pepper, to taste.
• Add a little bit of the olive oil and pulse a bit more.
• With the processor running, add the rest of the olive oil through the feed tube until you get the consistency you like in a pesto.

Serve right away or store in the fridge in a covered jar with a slow-pour layer of olive oil on top to keep it from oxidizing. Likewise, you can add a piece of plastic wrap to the top of the jar and press it down on the pesto to seal it.