It is scape season! Making garlic scape hummus
Since we moved to Chicago we have chosen to live in a rental property. There are several reasons for this, but one thing it limits us to is planting a garden. With the four billion other things that demand your time it isn't really a priority right now.
With all of the being said, we still planted garlic. Lots of garlic. We were given several bulbs a few years back and have been cultivating and sharing this heirloom hardneck garlic with friends because two people have a hard time using a full 40+ bulbs in a year no matter how much you fear vampires.You may have picked up on the fact that we (I) may have a small squirrel problem so I wanted to spread out the garlic love and plant them in a few locations. If you are curious...the furry little bastards did dig up several cloves and eat them or at least part of them.For example:
In the flower beds in front of the house.
In a pot by the garage...
In pots on the patio...
And in the grand mess that is the landscaped edges of my yard. Don't judge me.
The reason for so many locations other than squirrels is that you plant garlic in the fall and harvest in the beginning to mid summer depending on location and growing conditions. Oh and we weren't sure how long we would be in this house so I planted some in pots that we could take if we needed.
Growning tip: in my experience garlic is not nearly as fond of growing in pots as it is in the ground, but desperate conditions and all.
So right around this time the scapes need to be pruned.
What the hell is a scape you ask...
A scape is what would become the flower.
Why do you cut it off?
Well they are quite tasty, but the other more scientific-y answer is when you take away the bloom, the plant will focus on developing the bulb. So the short answer is because you get better garlic bulbs.
So here is a the current scape situation (we have more, but they need a few more day and are much smaller because they are the garlics in the pots).
My first scape adventure has been scape hummus. Or maybe I should call it Scape Yummus!
If you have read previous cooking posts you may have discovered I do a lot of my cooking by the eyeball and taste method. So exact recipes are hard for me to determine, but I will do my best for you.
I am all for making hummus from dried beans. It is way easier than it sounds and if you lack prep time, but have an Instant Pot this isn't really an issue. If you don't have an Instant Pot, you should. You REALLY REALLY should.
All ya do is rinse the beans put them in the IP add enough water to significantly cover the beans shut the lid and push the bean button. It really is that easy.
Meanwhile I gather my other ingredients: lemon juice, tahini, salt, and in this case scapes.
After the beans are done do NOT just drain them....NO save that bean juice!!!
-Now toss about a cans worth of beans (15oz) into you food processor or blender (I use a Vitamix because I have never made smoother hummus in any other gadget - don't have a Vitamix or other good blender? You should. Just like the IP it makes life so much easier).
-Next pour in some of that saved goodness bean juice (probably a half of a cup to a cup you will need to vary to your prefer consitency)
-Plop in about a T of tahini (I don't want the tahini flavor to overpower my hummus, but again use as much or as little as you fancy)
-Now add a few splashes of lemon juice (again in my case I like mine lemony so I might glub glub glub a few more time
-Grind in some salt to taste
-Scapes, I used two but again it is all personal preference and how strong your scapes are
Once it is smooth you are good to go...give it a taste and add what you want and boom. Hummus is a healthier alternative to many dips and is a great source of protein! It is vegan and crazy amazing. There are a million ways to dress up or flavor your hummus so go to town. Try new things. Live a little.
What are your favorite versions of hummus?
