Green Garlic Potato Salad

An easy green garlic potato salad celebrates the best of spring vegetables and tastes even better the next day.

Growing up I hated potato salad. I think it’s because I was an 80s kid and most of the food was pretty terrible.

I’m not sure what potato salad recipe my family used but I’m pretty sure it was just boiled potatoes, boiled eggs, onion and miracle whip.
 

My mother will probably correct me on this retro recipe. But as a child that’s what I remembered.

So as an adult I’ve never really been a fan of potato salad. I’m not a food snob, I could eat KFC coleslaw all day long but I’m never tempted by mayonnaise based potato salads.

But I do love this green garlic potato salad.

What is Green Garlic?

If you’ve ever been to a farmer’s market in the spring to see fresh local garlic you may have seen them and thought they were chives or green onion because they look so similar.

Basically they are a flower stalk that grows out of a young garlic. They are delicate and mild in flavour and arrive before the garlic continues to grow.

They taste a bit more like an onion or sharp shallot.

Green garlic may also be called:

• garlic flowers
• garlic greens
• serpent garlic
• garlic shoots
• spring baby garlic
• garlic spears
• garlic tops
• spring garlic
• young garlic

Although garlic grows all over the world, it’s rare to find green garlic outside farmers markets.

But now they are a popular product as farmers can sell their product earlier with immature garlic.

Where to Buy Green Garlic

Mostly in farmer’s markets and sometimes in Asian grocery stores or speciality stores. Green garlic season is late spring to early summer.

They should have fresh green tops with the bulb in tact. 

How to Store Green Garlic

It lasts in the fridge for about a week. I store it the same way I keep green onion, by putting it in a glass with half an inch of water. Just make sure you keep an eye on the water as it can dry up.

Alternatively you can keep it in the fridge in a damp paper towel.

Is Green Garlic Healthy?

Garlic is very healthy with lots of antioxidants as well as allicin.

It’s part of a healthy diet and a great way to give food flavour without additional fat or salt.
 
 

The Difference Between Green Garlic and Garlic Scapes

Both green garlic and garlic scapes are amazing! But…

People get them confused. And they are often labelled wrong, even in farmer’s markets.

The good news is that they both have incredible flavour. If you can’t find one you can use the other in a lot of recipes.

But here is the difference…

Green garlic is the young, immature garlic. The greens are very delicate and the bulb isn’t its full size. Green garlic is younger than garlic scapes and appear earlier in the year

Garlic scapes are the greens that extend from the garlic bulb later in the season.

They are heartier, longer and often curled. They also have a stronger flavour.

The reason they are cut off is that the garlic needs to focus its energy and nutrients on the bulb. When you buy them they are not attached to the garlic bulb.

The later in the season you look for them, the tougher the garlic scape. But they are still fantastic grilled, in stir fries and garlic scape pesto.

Green Garlic Substitute

If you don’t have green garlic simply substitute 1/2 the amount with fresh, local minced garlic or 1/2-3/4 garlic scapes.

Chives are also a great 1-1 substitute in a recipe.

Green Garlic Potato Salad

Pin It: Potato Salad with Green Garlic Dressing

Additional Images (c) Seacoast Eat Local, Shihmei Barger 舒詩玫,