What do garlic scapes taste like?

Garlic scapes have a milder, greener flavor than garlic bulbs—closer to green garlic or ramps. They're less pungent and slightly sweet, with a crisp texture when raw or pickled.

How spicy are these pickles?

Bird's Eye chilis bring noticeable heat that builds as you eat. They're not overwhelming, but they do add a sweet chili kick. If you're sensitive to spice, start with a small amount to gauge tolerance.

Do I need to refrigerate the jar after opening?

Yes. Like most fermented pickles, these should be refrigerated after opening to maintain texture and flavor.

Can I use the brine from the jar?

You can. The brine carries the same chili heat and fermented tang as the scapes, so it works as a condiment on its own or mixed into dressings and marinades.

How long do these last once opened?

Fermented pickles typically last several weeks to a few months in the refrigerator after opening, as long as the scapes remain submerged in brine and the jar is kept clean.

Garlic Scape Pickle

The 3-second version

Salt-fermented with no vinegar, keeping scapes crunchy throughout
Bird's Eye chili from Tanzania adds sweet heat without masking garlic
Good Food Award winner for technique and flavor
Chili heat is noticeable and builds
Fermented tang differs from vinegar pickles
Limited to 4 oz jar size

Why it's on GiftsFeed

Fermented Garlic Scape Pickles with Bird's Eye Chili

Most pickled vegetables swim in vinegar, which softens them and flattens flavor into one sharp note. Salt fermentation takes longer and demands more skill, but it preserves crunch and builds layers—sweet, funky, tangy—that vinegar brine cannot. Garlic scapes have a narrow harvest window and a texture that collapses under most preservation methods. This jar proves the method works, and the Bird's Eye chili brings enough heat to make them interesting without turning them into a novelty condiment. If you reach for capers often but wish they had more substance, this is the version that delivers.

Good gift when

People who keep capers or pickled peppers in steady rotation
Home cooks looking for a briny topping with heat and crunch
Anyone who enjoys fermented foods and wants something beyond sauerkraut
Fans of garlic in every form, especially milder green varieties

Skip it if If you avoid spicy foods or prefer pickles without any heat, the Bird's Eye chili will be too assertive. The fermentation also brings a tangy funk that some people find off-putting if they're used to vinegar pickles only.

Specs

Size: 4 oz glass jar
Ingredients: Garlic scapes, Bird's Eye chilis, salt, spice blend
Fermentation method: Salt ferment, no vinegar or water
Chili origin: Tanzania
Scape origin: Upstate New York
Award: Good Food Award winner

What's included

4 oz jar of fermented garlic scapes

If you're giving it

No sizing to guess

Ships in a 4 oz glass jar; consider pairing with a cheese board or breakfast spread.

The details

This jar holds the curly flowering stems of hard-neck garlic, harvested before they bloom so the bulbs below can grow larger. Instead of going to waste—the fate of most scapes in the Northeast—these are transformed through salt fermentation with Bird's Eye chilis from Tanzania and a proprietary spice blend. No vinegar or water enters the process, just salt and time, which keeps the stems crisp and develops a sweet finish beneath the chili heat.

The fermentation is handled by Atina Foods, a team recognized with a Good Food Award for this collaboration. Their method locks in texture while building complexity. The Bird's Eye chilis bring focused heat without overwhelming the mild garlic flavor of the scapes themselves, which taste closer to green garlic than mature bulbs.

Use them anywhere a briny, crunchy element belongs. They work on eggs, bagels with cream cheese, mashed potatoes, pizza, tuna salad, or charcuterie boards. Think of them as a substitute for capers with more body and a kick. The jar is four ounces of glass-packed scapes, firm enough to chop or serve whole.

The scapes come from farms in upstate New York. Hard-neck garlic is hand-sown, and the scapes must be removed to redirect energy to the bulb. Most farmers compost them or leave them in the field. This product rescues a crop that would otherwise be lost, turning a brief seasonal window into something shelf-stable.

Burlap & Barrel

Garlic Scape Pickle

Crunchy salt-fermented stems from upstate New York with Tanzanian chili heat

$13.99at burlapandbarrel.com

Quantity

Buy from Burlap & Barrel

Ships and sold by Burlap & Barrel. About this merchant

The 3-second version

Salt-fermented with no vinegar, keeping scapes crunchy throughout
Bird's Eye chili from Tanzania adds sweet heat without masking garlic
Good Food Award winner for technique and flavor
Chili heat is noticeable and builds
Fermented tang differs from vinegar pickles
Limited to 4 oz jar size

Questions

What do garlic scapes taste like?: Garlic scapes have a milder, greener flavor than garlic bulbs—closer to green garlic or ramps. They're less pungent and slightly sweet, with a crisp texture when raw or pickled.
How spicy are these pickles?: Bird's Eye chilis bring noticeable heat that builds as you eat. They're not overwhelming, but they do add a sweet chili kick. If you're sensitive to spice, start with a small amount to gauge tolerance.
Do I need to refrigerate the jar after opening?: Yes. Like most fermented pickles, these should be refrigerated after opening to maintain texture and flavor.
Can I use the brine from the jar?: You can. The brine carries the same chili heat and fermented tang as the scapes, so it works as a condiment on its own or mixed into dressings and marinades.
How long do these last once opened?: Fermented pickles typically last several weeks to a few months in the refrigerator after opening, as long as the scapes remain submerged in brine and the jar is kept clean.