Farmers market pizzas: garlic scapes

For a few years it seemed that everyone was losing their minds over ramps. The tender spring onions would sell out as soon as they appeared on a vendor's market table. Ramps were assurance that spring had arrived and our tummies would soon be filled with the fresh produce of summer.

Garlic scapes haven't enjoyed such a honored welcome. Maybe their shape scares some people off. Their curly tentacles don't contort and conform. You have to be ready and willing to wake up your senses when you invite garlic scapes into your kitchen. Although they are gentle representatives of garlic's essence, their flavor and crunch are the most exciting thing many of us have put in our mouths since last fall's chili pepper harvest.

Nothing honors the flavors of summer better than grilled pizza. Grilling season is brief, so I have been grilling pizza a few times each week. Addiction or kitchen genius? Doesn't matter. Farmers market pizza is a beautiful thing: garlic scapes, radishes, green onions, LoveTree Farmstead sheep cheese flavored with gin, Prairie Pride sausage with blueberries, Minnesota's first strawberries macerated in gin-balsamic-maple, and basil from the garden. For T, something slightly more manly: scapes, sausage, mushrooms, onions, potatoes, dill, cilantro, and peas.

When not at the helm of our grill, I've been busy quick pickling the scapes that didn't get tossed on our pizzas. Head over to Called to the Table for the recipe.