Bite Me The Show About Edibles
Helping cooks make great cannabis edibles at home.
Create your own tasty, healthy cannabis edibles and take control of your high life! Bite Me is a weekly show that helps home cooks make fun, safe and effective cannabis edibles. Listen as host Margaret walks you through an marijuana infused recipe that she has tested in her home kitchen or interviews with expert guests. New episodes every Thursday.
Bite Me The Show About Edibles
Spread The Love With Garlic Scape Pesto
What TV show do you think is extremely overrated?
Summer brings us one of nature's most under-appreciated treasures: garlic scapes. These curly green stems, once discarded as mere byproducts of garlic farming, now take center stage in this episode's featured recipe - a versatile, cannabis infused garlic scape pesto that perfectly captures summer's bounty.
Whether you're new to cannabis cuisine or a seasoned chef, this garlic scape pesto offers endless possibilities for incorporating cannabis benefits into your meals in a controlled, intentional manner. Join me at the Bite Me Cannabis Club to connect with our supportive cannabis cooking community and share how you're using this versatile condiment in your kitchen!
Continue the conversation and start connecting—head to JoinBiteMe.com right now. You'll find a private community of cannabis growers, makers and lovers who are just as obsessed or curious as you are.
Visit the website for full show notes, free dosing calculator, recipes and more.
Hello friends, welcome to episode 309. And today we're talking about garlic scape pesto. Welcome to Bite Me, the show about edibles, where I help you take control of your high life. I'm your host and certified ganja, margaret, and I love helping cooks make safe and effective edibles at home. I'm so glad you're here, hello friends, and welcome back to Bite Me, the podcast that explores the intersection of food culture and cannabis helping cooks make great edibles at home.
Speaker 1:And today we are doing that with garlic scape pesto, a twist on a traditional, well-loved summertime favorite. And I guess it's not necessarily just a summertime favorite, but I happen to be growing some basil out of my back deck and garlic scape has been at the farmer's market, so it just feels summery, even though pesto on a beautiful pasta dish in the depths of winter can also be a welcome envisioning of spring when it's dark and gray outside, so this can be enjoyed any time of the year. It just so happens to be that I'm recording this in the summer and, as a Canadian, I love summertime, and while I can't speak for all Canadians, because there are certainly enough of us out there who say it's too hot to them, I say shh, it's going to be cold as hell? I guess not cold as hell, cold as I don't know, whatever saying or phrase you want to put in there. It's going to be super cold before we know it. And it seems like sometimes you blink and the summers are over and there's just something so nice and freeing about summer, like you don't have to worry about bulky layers, you don't have to worry about heavy shoes and putting on socks and and you can just step out your door and enjoy the day. And it's kind of funny.
Speaker 1:Before I started recording today I was going to I was, I was getting ready to set up and record and I get a phone call from one of my daughters and she's out walking the dog and thought she would just give me a little call and say hello and, you know, chat for a few minutes and I'm chatting with her. And then I get another call. I'm on the line and it's my other daughter and she is also taking her dog out for a walk and wanted to chat for a few minutes. So I chatted with her for a few minutes and then I told her that her sister was down at a local park, because they both live in the same area and I have to say it is so nice to live close to both my kids and it's a real privilege that I enjoy.
Speaker 1:Hasn't always been like this. My one daughter lived in the big city for a little while before the pandemic and she came back to this area general area and she'll be here for a while. But they live across the street from each other and I think that's so lovely. It's just nice to be close to family, but I like getting phone calls like that because they're both very busy and I don't expect them to always have the time to make those phone calls, so I enjoy them when I do get them, maybe because they have dogs. That is why they're able to do this. They make time out of their day to take the dog for a walk. It's a good time for a check-in via telephone and I enjoy that in a lot of ways too. Because they both have dogs.
Speaker 1:I don't feel the need to own a dog because I can live vicariously through them. When I go visit, the dogs are super excited to see me. It's like having your own pet in a way. Sometimes I look after them. Not too often. They're pretty good with you know, respecting my time and space, I do get to help out here and there, and then I hear the stories of illnesses and things they barked at or chased or other behaviors that you're like. Ugh, I'm sure glad I don't have one. But I digress, I've been looking after people and plants and animals for most of my adult life, so I'm enjoying not having to do that at this point in time. And it would be really hard to convince me otherwise. And I know because one of my daughters does often send me listings from the Humane Society of super cute puppies or dogs and as much as I admire them, the answer is always just like no, I'm not tying myself down with a four-legged creature anytime soon.
Speaker 1:Before we get into today's episode, let's do a little stoner trivia, because I'm feeling quizzy today. Feeling a little quizzy, so I'm pulling a card out of the deck. Stoner Travi I raised a 420. I'm going to flip it over. And it's a history question. During World War II, the US government gave prisoners marijuana. To produce what symptoms? Hallucinate, confusion, paranoid or truth serum? Now, this is something I have never heard of before. If you have, please direct me to some resources because I would love to hear more about this. I mean, I've heard about the government giving soldiers maybe was it in the Vietnam War they were giving them or experimenting with LSD, is that? Am I remembering correctly? The memory is a funny thing, but the question is during World War II, the US government gave prisoners cannabis to produce what symptoms? Hallucinate, confusion, paranoid, a truth serum? I really hate the tenses of all these words. Is it hallucinations, confusion, paranoid behavior or acting as a truth serum, I think, is the better way to phrase it. Well, if you answered acting as a truth serum, you would be correct. Now I would be very curious to hear how well it worked. Do you find that you are more truthful when you're high? Let me know, along with what I should make next. Now, of course, I do have. I'll tease it a little bit.
Speaker 1:I do have a couple of interviews coming out in the next little bit that I am excited to share with you. The first one is Steve Stacey, author of Death by Cannabis and a Death by Cannabis three up, and if you have yet to read those two books, they are super fun read. There is augmented reality involved and it's a murder mystery that takes place in a grow up. So he'll be coming on the show upcoming, and also I have Wesley Holloway of the Benevolent Bakery, and this fine gentleman has created a company with a really large social component to it. He makes infused boxed mixes, like a brownie mix that's already infused, and I'm really excited to share that episode with you too, because the stuff that he's doing in the cannabis space is. It's amazing. He really stood out amongst a lot of the people who are in the cannabis space making product, consumer products, because of the work that he's doing in the nonprofit sector as well.
Speaker 1:Just to tease those a little bit, those are coming out. I'm really looking forward to them because I do love doing interviews. It's one of my favorite things to do. Not that I don't enjoy sitting here talking to myself I do. But, as I've mentioned many times before, podcasting can sometimes feel lonely, which is also another reason why I started the Bite Me Cannabis Club. If you haven't yet checked that out, go to joinbitemecom and have a look and see if there might be something that would resonate with you. We are a fun, super supportive bunch. I don't feel so lonely anymore.
Speaker 1:Let's get into today's recipe, which is garlic scape pesto, and I had thought when I was looking for ideas of things to infuse for the show. I thought you know I've done a pesto before and I actually thought I had done more than one, but that was not the case. I have done a white miso pesto, which is also lovely, a twist on the traditional pesto, and that recipe was provided by Zach Squire of Squire's Specialty Elixirs. That's the business he runs out of the USA. His miso pesto recipe chef's kiss definitely worth checking out. So I would recommend that you check that one out if you're into miso pesto.
Speaker 1:But we are in a particular time of the year where garlic scapes are easier to find and if you're not super familiar with them, let me paint you a picture. What exactly are garlic scapes? So if you're unfamiliar, garlic scapes are the long, slender flower stems that grow from the top of hardneck garlic, which is the type of garlic that typically grows in colder climates, specifically in Northeastern US and Canada. So shout out to all my Northeastern US and Canadian listeners you know probably exactly what I'm talking about, which makes me wonder can other people get it as easily? I'm not really sure, but up until recently these stems were simply considered byproducts of garlic farming, but they have started to make debuts at farmer's markets.
Speaker 1:Usually it starts in late spring, and that's because the farmers need to harvest these garlic scapes early, so that the plant can direct its energy towards growing the bulb, which will then be harvested in late summer, which may sound familiar to you as well, as kind of like why you don't want your cannabis plants to be pollinated, because then they'll direct their energy towards making seed instead of making that beautiful bud that we're all here for. So it's kind of a similar idea, also like with my basil on the back deck. If I pick the flowers off the basil when it's growing, it'll keep producing basil leaves which I can then harvest and make delicious pestos with. So it's a very similar concept, and when you see them, you'll know the garlic skates because they look like super long, curly green beans with a tapering tip. They do have a garlicky flavor, but it's much more muted than that of the bulbs and it has a bit of a grassy flavor to it as well, similar to scallions, but once they're cooked their texture is surprisingly dense and meaty. So these are really nice because it can lend dishes a hint of this garlic without overpowering it, although I know many of us do enjoy the overpowering flavor of garlic. What's not to love.
Speaker 1:Now you can use garlic scapes anyway you would use green onions, chives or garlic cloves. But before you get started with cooking with garlic scapes, you want to make sure you cut off the tips and the bulb. You'll see that there's like a little bulb and I'll make sure to add photos in the show notes over on the website once this episode is live. Just want to make sure, of course, you give them a good rinse to wash away any dirt or bugs. Although they're pretty, the texture of them is actually very smooth. I've never seen any that sort of hold on to a whole lot of dirt or bugs in any case, but of course it's always wise to give your produce a wash, and when it comes to cooking with them, I mean the opportunities are truly endless because they're so sturdy. They make a great substitute for green beans and stir fries.
Speaker 1:You can use them in omelets, frittatas, homemade pestos like we're going to be doing today vinaigrettes, pizzas in butters there's lots of ways that you can use them. We're going to be using them in a garlic scape pesto, because pesto is a creamy, savory condiment that's great on grilled meat. Pizza pasta obviously is what comes to my mind oftentimes, but I would enjoy it on many things. I've eaten it a lot with eggs as well, because I find eggs are the perfect canvas for all your sauces and condiments. So you might be saying how do I make this pesto margarita? Well, let me tell you. I'm glad you asked.
Speaker 1:We're going to get into it right now, and the one thing I really like about this recipe is how simple it is. And in the summertime, as I'm recording this right now, I am looking for simplicity. I barbecue a lot in the summertime. Everything, again, like I already mentioned, just feels easier, and you want that lighter fare, although this one does do well in the wintertime as well. You just may not have access to that fresh air basil, unless you're putting it in your grow tent, in which case maybe you can have some fresh basil all year round. However, this would also freeze well, so keep that in mind too. You could make a bunch of it in the summertime and then label it and freeze it.
Speaker 1:So what you need for this recipe is garlic scapes, parmesan cheese, walnuts, basil leaves, salt, fresh lemon juice and olive oil, and that is it. And this is where the simplicity of this particular recipe really comes in, really shines. That's what I love about it. It's very similar to making any other pesto. It follows this basic kind of outline but, as you may have noticed, there is no garlic in this one because you're using the garlic scapes instead. But, as you may have noticed, there is no garlic in this one because you're using the garlic scapes instead.
Speaker 1:Now, this recipe also called for walnuts, and when I went to go make this because I made this a little while ago and I've been using it and I'll be ready to make another batch very soon I find the garlic scapes do keep pretty well in the refrigerator I'll get into that in a minute but I didn't't have. I realized I didn't have walnuts on hand, so I used almonds instead and that seemed to work just fine. So sometimes you have to make do with what you have. If you have almonds instead, it's more of an almond pesto, but the recipe actually calls for walnuts. I haven't made a pesto in some time with pine nuts because I find that the price of pine nuts have you seen the price of pine nuts these days, holy mackerel just through the roof. I mean I've only really seen them, mostly at Costco, but I am not prepared to buy a bulk bag of pine nuts. I don't have a pine nut budget, unfortunately, so it'll be a while before I'm making any pesto with pine nuts.
Speaker 1:The nice thing about this is, of course, it calls for a whole half a cup of olive oil. Now what you're going to be doing, if you want to infuse the entire recipe, you're going to use that half cup or a ratio, because a half, full, half cup of infused olive oil is going to make a very strong pesto, and so you're probably going to want to do a ratio because you don't need you don't probably don't need a whole half cup, especially if you're going to be sharing this with other people. But the reason I like this recipe so much is, if you decide you want to infuse you don't want to infuse the whole batch you could easily take a little bit of olive oil and add it to a serving, and that would, of course, allow you to adjust the potency per dish, and I don't think it would be very difficult to do that because just the texture and consistency and because it's you know it has a lot of olive oil in it, it lends itself really well to working with this, and I haven't done it yet. But what I'm planning to do is to go out to get a larger dropper bottle for storing my infused olive oil, just to make it easier to do things like this. And I want to have one for CBD and one for THC, just because I want to be able to add them easily and then when you label them you know like a milliliter or five milliliters or how much is in it per milliliter. So that would be my recommendation for infusing.
Speaker 1:And basically what you're going to do is you're going to prep the scapes first, so you're going to remove and discard the bulb end of the garlic scapes and then any rough stems at the ends as well, and chop them into smaller pieces. And then you're going to put everything the garlic scapes and everything into a food processor or blender which is what I had, not as ideal, but everything but the olive oil and then you're going to mix it all together and then start to drizzle in the olive oil, and you're just going to do that until it gets to the consistency that you like. If you want a runnier consistency, you can add a little more. If you like it chunkier, you just add a little less Lovely, and the resulting pesto is pretty garlicky, so you can use it sparingly, but it may not be as garlicky as if you're using a traditional like traditional garlic cloves, and it is one way to use this beautiful, this beautiful produce that you may have be seeing at farmer's markets or in stores or coming out of friends gardens, because I do have people that I know in my life that have been offering me up garlic scapes because they have so many of them I have.
Speaker 1:There's somebody that I know whose father plants a ton of garlic Like. I can't remember what the number was, but it was probably like hundreds of heads of garlic. So she's like would you like garlic scapes here? Take them, take them. And so I've been getting pretty creative with what I'm doing with my garlic scapes. Well, I mean, like I said, I add them a lot to eggs. I'll cook eggs or start stir fries with some of these garlic scapes and I've grilled them right on the grill.
Speaker 1:But pesto is one of my favorite things to make with them. It's that easy. So you just need to figure out your preferred dose, and I'm going to put some stuff into the show notes around that as well, just so it can help. But do remember I have a calculator on my website that can help you figure out how strong your olive oil might be, so that you're not guessing because guessing is how you Guessing is fucking around and finding out, depending on where you're at in your cannabis journey and I'm pretty deep into my cannabis journey I don't want to fuck around and find out, I just do not. Life is too short right now for me to take myself out of action because I got myself way too high. I've done it enough times already and you'd think I've learned my lesson. I do try most of the time to learn my lesson, but here we are. Here I am reminding you all Don't forget to label it. If you've infused the entire batch, please don't forget to label it. We don't need any mishaps and do keep in mind that you can freeze this. So again, please label it.
Speaker 1:If you do find yourself some garlic scapes whether someone has generously gifted them to you or you've picked them up at a farmer's market they're light green onions. Garlic scapes will last for several weeks into the crisper drawer of your fridge. You can toss them in a loose plastic bag that's slightly open. If you want to make them last even longer, then you're going to want to cut off the roots, cut them in half, dry them off, wrap them in like paper towel and then store them in like a Ziploc bag in your crisper door of your fridge, so you can store them that way and that will help them last longer. So this is a versatile. I don't know if you would call them vegetables exactly, but they're greenery, so they're going to have some bit of protein and vitamin C and calcium in them, and that's good for you. I feel like anytime you eat something green it's a win, no matter what form it happens to be in. So I think that's it for this week.
Speaker 1:My friends, I hope you enjoy the garlic scape pesto and I would love to hear how you're using it. Just something else that came to mind was like, if you're making a grilled cheese sandwich, you can put a thin layer of pesto on it. Oh, grilled cheese and pesto actually would be a phenomenal combination, so I'm going to be thinking about that as well. So if you have any other interesting ways in which you're using garlic scape pesto or any pesto, I would love to hear it. As always, let me know what you think and what you think I should make next With that. My friends, I am your host, margaret, and until next time, stay high.
