Where are the latest garlic scapes produced? An overview of the main production areas
Garlic scapes are the flower stalks drawn from bolting garlic. Garlic originated in West Asia and Central Asia. Since Zhang Qian was sent on a mission to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty and brought garlic back to settle in China, it has a history of more than two thousand years and is an indispensable seasoning in people's daily lives. By custom, what people usually call “garlic” refers to the garlic bulb. Now let us take a look together at where garlic scapes are produced!
Where are garlic scapes produced?
Garlic scapes are widely distributed in China and are planted throughout the north and south. Sheyang County in Jiangsu Province is a major production area for garlic scapes and garlic bulbs and has been named by the state as “China's Home of Garlic Scapes”. In addition, Laiwu and Jinxiang in Shandong, Pizhou in Jiangsu, Qixian and Zhongmu in Henan are all major production areas for garlic scapes and garlic bulbs, and Daming County in Hebei Province also has garlic as its main product. Shanghe garlic scapes are of good quality. Because they have the characteristics of being fragrant, spicy, rich and sticky, and their allicin content is significantly higher than that of other production areas, they are known as “the number one garlic under heaven”.
The growth habits of garlic
Garlic likes cool conditions, with a suitable temperature of ~5~26°C. Seedlings have the strongest cold resistance at the 4-5 leaf stage, which is the most suitable seedling stage for overwintering. Garlic that has completed vernalization begins differentiation of flower buds and bulbils under long-day conditions of more than 13 hours and relatively high temperatures, while under short-day and cool conditions it is only suitable for stem and leaf growth. It likes moisture and fears drought. It is not strict about soil requirements, but fertile loam rich in organic matter, loose and breathable, with strong water retention and drainage performance is more suitable.
How to select garlic scapes
1. Look at the appearance: mainly check whether there is any external damage and whether they look very wilted. Fresh garlic scapes have relatively neat roots and tips, with consistent thickness and a rounded shape.
2. Look at the color: garlic scapes can be blue-green or dark green, and the dark green ones are slightly more tender. If the tip is very plump and very emerald green, then it is relatively fresh.
3. Test whether they are old or tender: snap off a small section from the root end of the garlic scape. If it breaks easily, that indicates it is very fresh. But do not snap off too much, to avoid waste.
4. Look at the thickness: garlic scapes that are too thin do not taste strong, while those that are too thick are hard to cook thoroughly and hard to bite through. Medium-thickness garlic scapes have the best flavor.