Great scapes

Tender green garlic scapes, those curlicue tops that emerge from the subterranean blubs in late spring and early summer, are showing up at local farmers markets.

Grab a bunch of the scapes to add flavor to eggs, pasta, risotto or stir-fry. They also can be whirled into pesto. Some describe the flavor as garlic without the bite, but scapes can have a surprising (but delicious) garlicky punch of their own.

A recipe for garlic scapes was included in last week’s “Fresh Recipe” leaflet that market workers handed out at the Thursday Market in the South Perry District. Look inside today’s Food section for the recipe for Spinach and Scape Frittata.

Summer canning school

Want to learn how to can fresh foods, but don’t know where to start?

Ball home canning and parent company Jarden Home Brands can help. The company is hosting the second annual National Can-It-Forward Day on July 14.

Go to www.fresh preserving.com that day for live webcasts of canning demonstrations and preserving techniques. The website also offers tips for getting started, a shopping checklist and recipes so consumers can host their own home-canning parties. Preservers can share their spoils on Facebook on the Ball Canning page or tweet using the hashtag #canitforward.

Summer Crockin’

Some will be tempted to retire the slow cooker for the season now that warmer weather has arrived. Don’t do it.

There’s no need for a hot oven, when the slow cooker can keep the kitchen cool.

Friends Jeanna Marwitz and Nicole Sparks started sharing slow cooker recipes online with family and friends, but it quickly went viral. Now, the Crockin’ Girls have more than 500,000 “likes” on Facebook, 100,000 members on their crockingirls.com website and a new cookbook, “The Crockin’ Girls Slow Cookin’ Companion.”

Their recipe for Crockin’ Lasagna is inside today’s food section.