Now there's kind of a back story to garlic scapes in my world. I had read about them years ago before internet but had never managed to read any information on how to fix them; and just like me, I jumped into the garlic scape world with both feet and without thinking. First I sauteed a couple and found them tasty but they always left a tough piece of green stuff in your mouth that you just couldn't swallow. Then I cut the garlic right below the little bulb where the flower would be and sauteed the tops, still tough but the bulb part was delicious so I took the stems, which I had automatically assumed was the tough part and sauteed them. Yikes!!! Wonder of all wonders!!! Magnifico!!!! So here I am, in love again!
I'm sure there are probably all kinds of ways to fix these miracle of miracles, wondrous as they are with a somewhat asparagus flavor and crunch, plus a light, light garlic overtone, but I fix 'em the way I like 'em. I cut them into what would be 3 to 4 inch pieces, discarding the top part. I put in about 1 Teaspoon of Olive Oil, 1 Tablespoon of Butter and 1/2 cup of water, salt and pepper and saute the scapes until the water has all but evaporated and then I add about 1/4 cup more of water and continue to saute a little bit longer until the water, again, begins to evaporate. All this takes maybe 5-7 minutes. Then I put a very, very small amount of "good" balsamic vinegar on them and stir it in - and by the way, I don't mess around with cheap balsamic vinegar here, it's the good stuff or it's nothing at all. I then put the scapes in a dish and whatever liquid is left stays in the pan(I put the liquid in the frig for use in other dishes). I top it with a pat of butter and again, a tiny bit of balsamic vinegar and a pinch of pink mineral salt.
It's amazing stuff and sends a good steak or pork loin over the top. It's excellent chopped up in rice but it's such a delicacy for me, it's only made it to rice once in all the years I've been fixing it. Don't be afraid of it and by all means if you have a bunch of scapes try some different recipes out and pass them on. I've just read how some people make pesto out of them and others, salad dressings. But don't ignore your scapes even if you don't eat them, which really would be a travesty. They need to be cut off so the plants' energies are sent to the garlic bulb and not into the scape for producing seed.