Dried Garlic Scapes and Spring Onions

As you may now, we are huge fans of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) We thoroughly enjoy farm fresh veggies every week.

But, for anyone who either grows a garden or takes part in a CSA, they know that there will be times when abundance can easily lead to waste.

We did not want to be overwhelmed enough to waste anything.

With this in mind, I always plan to preserve my abundance instead of throwing it out.

So far, we have shown you how to make:

• DIY Garlic Salt
• Strawberry Powder
• Preserved Herbs

Now it is time to deal with an abundance of garlic scapes and spring/green onions.

We started receiving garlic scapes at week 3. By the time we picked up the sixth week, I knew I had to get busy drying them.

Dehydrating Garlic Scapes and Onions

There are two ways to prepare garlic scapes for dehydrating:

• Cut the garlic scapes into pieces and place in one layer on a baking tray or dehydrator tray.
• Cut up the garlic scapes and place in a blender or food processor to turn it into a paste. Spread this paste onto a lined baking sheet or dehydrator tray.

I have done it both ways, but prefer grinding it down in the food processor before drying. It really cuts down the time it takes to dehydrate.

To prepare onions for dehydrating:

• Trim the roots off and any ends that are tough or dried out.
• Separate the onion ring layers.
• Spread out in a single layer on a baking tray or dehydrator tray.

Unlike the garlic scapes, I do not grind the onions further in the food processor. I like dried onions to have a coarser texture instead of making it into a powder. If you are going to make an onion powder, you can go ahead and make an onion paste and then move on to drying it.

It’s All in the Grind

Once the garlic scapes or onions are completely dried, it is time to grind.

• Place the dried garlic scapes into a blender or food processor and grind until your preferred consistency. I like to make it quite fine so that it easily dissolves into whatever I am cooking.
• Place the dried onions into a blender or food processor and grind until your preferred consistency. I like mine to be less like a powder and more like bits of onion. This looks nice when added to soups, stews, or dressings.

Once ground, put them in airtight containers and leave them on the counter to let them “condition”. Conditioning just means to let it rest for a couple of days to see if any moisture is still present. If there is, there will be some condensation on the jar or its lid. If there is any, spread the powder on a tray and dry some more.

Store in a cool, dry cupboard and be sure to label the jars with the name and the date. They have a shelf life of 6 – 12 months.

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Have you tried drying your own garlic scapes or onions?