Tough scapes

they don't really ripen. The earlier the tenderer, the best are cut as soon as the base of the flower becomes visible, in which case you have to cut just below the flower. this is also best for the bulb, because all the energy of the extra foot of scape will now go to the bulb.

As others said, the earlier the better for the plant; I usually cut mine about the time they make their first curl, and discard the paper "tail" above the bud. If they're a bit tough, there's always the food processor, nuts, olive oil...

Gary Woods AKA K2AHC- PGP key on request, or at

Slightly O.T. If I remove the scapes from elephant garlic, new leaf blades grow out from the tips of the cloves and are not wrappers around the bulbs like the earlier leaf blades. So I believe it is best to leave the scapes on for elephant garlic. This may be due to our warm climate with temps over

A collective 'thanks' to all who responded. I'm on my way outdoors with knife in hand even as this makes its way to the newsgroup. ;-)