Garlic Scape Pesto

It's my first year growing garlic.  I planted two varieties - a hardneck, Duganski - and a softneck, Susanville.  I put 70 cloves in the ground in October and I'm just a few weeks away from harvest, or so the scapes tell me.  Once the scapes develop, harvest is usually 4-8 weeks away.  From what I had read, I thought only the hardneck varieties were likely to produce scapes, but my softnecks have sent up the flower stalk as well.  Fine by me.  I knew they were edible, but wasn't sure exactly what I was going to do with them.  They first appeared about 3 weeks ago and I'd been cutting one off here and there and adding it to my salad greens that have also been coming in.  I had seen a couple recipes for garlic scape pesto and it seemed like I should have enough scapes, so I decided to give it a try.

Garlic Scape Pesto

1 cup rough chopped garlic scapes
A heavy 1/4 cup pine nuts and/or walnuts (I used some of each)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon, plus some zest
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 - 1/2 cup of olive oil
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Lightly toast the nuts in a dry pan over low heat.  Allow to cool for a few.  Combine toasted nuts, scapes, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend well.  Drizzle in olive oil while continuing to blend.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in the Parmesan.

I actually forgot that you usually stir the cheese in after.  I blended it all in the food processor.

I imagine this will last in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks

Use as you would your regular basil pesto....with salmon or in pasta.  Beware - you can do some serious vampire warding off after eating this stuff!

Lunch!