Garlic Scapes and Fava Beans

Perhaps you’ve spied one or both of these wild-looking foods while perusing the market stalls for other produce, or maybe you already use these in your cooking. Either way, I am here to educate you on why fava beans and garlic scapes should be a staple in your springtime cooking.

We’ll start with the favas. Perhaps you’ve only heard of them from that famous Hannibal Lector line in Silence of the Lambs, but fava beans are actually one of the most ancient crops around, predating grains in some areas. Also known as the broad bean, fava beans have been a staple crop around the world for more than 10,000 years. This is most likely due to the fact that they’re easy to grow, and are incredibly high in fiber, protein, and other nutrients.

Fava beans ring in with a whopping 9 grams of fiber and 10 grams of protein per cup, as well as 40% of your daily folate and 36% of your daily manganese. They are also high in phosphorous, magnesium, iron, and potassium. This makes favas incredibly healthy for both body and mind. They’re delicious to eat as well, with the beans having a creamy, buttery, and nutty taste. Many people often say that they “taste like spring”. They’re easy enough to cook, though you will have to remove the beans from the shell. Once that’s been done they can be eaten raw, boiled, steamed, stewed, mashed, sautéed, fried, or roasted. What’s more, they go great with garlic scapes!

Calling all garlic lovers – garlic scapes are here! These curly green tendrils are actually the precursors to garlic itself. Garlic scapes are actually the stem and leaves of the hardneck garlic plant and must be harvested in order for the garlic bulb to ripen properly. If not cut, the plant will devote all its energy to growing the stem and leaves for flowering, and the bulb below will be small and tasteless. So by consuming garlic scapes, you’re actually helping ensure a fabulous garlic crop!

A little on nutrition, garlic scapes are high in dietary fiber and also contain significant amounts of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, and selenium. This makes them excellent immunity boosters!

Garlic scapes are very easy to use in cooking, as they can replace garlic cloves and/or scallions in pretty much any recipe you can think of. They can even be eaten raw, though be warned, they are a little tough. Some of the best uses include sauteeing, pureeing, roasting, and pickling. Go get you some!