another funky “flower” arrangement…

Over the weekend, we’ll be hosting friends and family at the bungalow, so I planned to buy some fresh flowers in honor of our guests. At the farmers market I was drawn to these garlic scapes and instead decided to make another edible arrangement. I love their long, beautiful stalks and funky little “flowers.” The shape of the scapes (say that five times fast!) pairs nicely with a skinny neck vase, like this one, because it cinches the skinny stems and concentrates their unusual look, allowing the long, winding stems to splay out. The resulting look is both modern and earthy and a little exotic. I’m kind of excited to see if anyone asks me about the mysterious flowers on the table!

Garlic scapes are the stalks of a young garlic plant. A quick Google search taught me a few cool facts about garlic scapes, like that most gardeners or farmers simply cut these stalks off because allowing them to continue to grow diverts resources away from the growing garlic bulb, aka the prized part of the plant. Somewhere along the line, however, a clever farmer discovered that these stalks are not only edible but delicious!

I found these particular scapes at my favorite potato stand, Weiser Family farms. I bought a bunch, along with some baby potatoes. Potatoes and garlic are a natural pairing, and after they’ve served their purpose in my living room, the garlic scapes will no doubt make an appearance in a hot skillet, along with some butter and salt. And then I’ll spoon that delicious garlic scape butter over the baby potatoes. Beautiful and delish!

If you are visiting a farmers market over the weekend, keep your eyes peeled for freshly cut garlic scapes. I bet you’ll be happy that you did!