Can one eat the leafy green part of green-garlic?

[LNG212]

I picked up some lovely green garlic this a.m. at the greenmarket. Last year I recall using the bulb part to make a goat cheese spread. But the green parts are so pretty and fragrant. Can these be eaten too? Should they be cooked? What do you do with them?

Thanks.

[vanessao]

I've used them in salads, stir-fries, omelets and scrambled eggs, even made a pesto with these as a main ingredient (the "basil", if you will). The farm I work for sells these, so I've had a steady supply the last few weeks - haven't hit a bad note yet!

[LNG212]

Good to know. I was thinking of putting it into a frittata this weekend. Thanks for the suggestions.

[meatn3]

There was some in my CSA box last week. It was very strong! Rather like the bite of a very strong onion yet garlic flavored. I used the whites & the greens, but raw it needed to be paired with something to tone it down. These were in between the size of a scallion and a spring onion, perhaps the size of a womans thumb in thickness. Maybe it was on the more mature size and thats why it had such a bite?

[Eldon Kreider]

Degree of maturity is very important to texture, stringiness (if any) and taste. If new bulbs have started to form, you are past the mild stage.

[Bat Guano]

Short answer: yes, they're delicious. They taste like mild garlic, with a sort of green leafy undertone. The same way the green parts of scallions taste like onions, except milder and ... greener.

[Eldon Kreider]

We salvage sprouting dry garlic in late winter by planting the garlic cloves in a flower pot. The leaves can be cut back several times and used much like chives. I agree that they are delicious, even more so when the ground outside the window is covered with snow.

[TongoRad]

If you google 'garlic scapes' you should get some recipe ideas. I haven't done so myself, but I'd guess that however you would use scallions you can use these. I've had them in Chinese restaurants, usually in conjunction with tea smoked pork belly- quite good.

[LNG212]

Thanks. But I think scapes are different than green garlic. I've gotten scapes later in the season and they are curly and dark green. The green garlic, like you said, has leaves that look more like scallions. I suppose I should just eat one and see. Right? :)

[foodwich]

in india during the winter, we make a breakfast/brunch dish with green garlic, spicy ground lamb mixed in, arranged on a platter with raw eggs on top. then scalding hot ghee is poured over this and eaten with wheat flatbread. the garlic is chopped very fine. leftovers are also mixed into a rice lentil mixture called khichdi. it is delicious. however a word of caution, the garlic is very strong smelling and tasting which is the reason it is mixed with spicy lamb. i dont think i would like to eat this plain.

[LNG212]

Are we talking about the same thing? The green garlic I have gotten in the spring is much less powerful than regular garlic. Or do you mean that the green parts are very strong?

[danhole]

I got some green garlic at a farmers market and it was milder than normal garlic. I used the stalks like chives, raw. They were good! Just right, not too strong at all.

[foodwich]

as far as my experience of green garlic is concerned. yes the taste is rather aggressive which would make them something to be eaten cooked and/or combined with something to tamp down the intensity. i do know of people who will not eat this because of the strong taste, i am referring only to the green parts.