We have a winner!

Did you solve the mystery? The answer was Garlic scapes!

bathroom lighting

Of the 14 comments on the Mystery Harvest Contest post, there were only 3 correct answers...
The cookbook goes to Heather! She said:

Garlic scapes sounds like the most exotic of the choices.
-Heather

I'd say that her husband's answer, fern tips, is more exotic than garlic scapes! Almost everyone guessed plants from the right family- Alliums- which include chives, onions, and garlic. The tricky part here was, this harvest was from a common plant (garlic)- but the part of the plant that is commonly eaten is the root, not the flower stalk. Hardneck garlic sends up these flower stalks (called scapes) while they are growing, and cutting the stalks off encourages the garlic bulb to grow better.

As a bonus, the stalks are "supremely yummy," as Becca put it. I tried serving up the scapes a couple different ways. When I served them cut up about the size of green beans & steamed, they were reminiscent of garlicky green beans, and very good. Apparently cooking them mellows their flavor, because when I tried making a pesto from the scapes without cooking them first, it had a much stronger garlic bite to it. I enjoyed it, but Josh preferred the former cooking method.

I might think up prizes for the other two correct answers as well, since the challenge was trickier than I thought it would be. Heather, expect your prize on Friday, when I presumably will be seeing you. Becca & Larissa, send me your addresses, unless you'd like to make arrangements for me to see you, too- which I would be delighted with ;-)

Great job, everyone!