Instructions: I know its spring when I see new bunches of a scallion-like vegetable at the farmers market. But these arent scallions, as youll discover if you pick them up and sniff. Theyre bunches of green garlic, the immature, more delicate version of the stinking rose.

Its a sure sign that spring has arrived, says David Kinch, chef at Sent Sovi in Saratoga, along with other harbingers of the season, such as fava beans, English peas and asparagus.

Like regular garlic, green garlic - which is sometimes called spring garlic - is planted in the fall, but its harvested before the garlic bulb and individual cloves have a chance to form. Very early spring garlic closely resembles a scallion or spring onion, with a root end thats only slightly bulbous, tender green leaves and a very mild flavor. Later in the season, the bulb starts to get bigger, the leaves get a little tougher and the flavor gets stronger. And toward the end of the season, which begins in early or mid-April and lasts until early June, individual cloves develop.

Given its versatility, its a shame green garlic isnt around longer. I scatter the green parts on focaccia before baking and add chopped green garlic to roasted potatoes. It takes the place of scallions in stir-fry dishes. Its the main ingredient in a flavorful pesto. And the flavor of the young garlic, especially the leaves, is mild enough to eat raw, so you can toss it in a salad.

That subtle flavor makes green garlic a popular ingredient in many restaurants during its short season. Donia Bijan of LAmie Donia in Palo Alto uses it in risotto, soups, gnocchi and in a ravioli filling.

Its got an amazing flavor, she says. Its subtle, but it makes its presence known. Bijan says she uses green garlic much as she would leeks.

Ive got a love affair with leeks, and it has a lot of leek quality. Because green garlic can get a little fibrous as the season wears on, Melissa Perello, chef at Charles Nob Hill in San Francisco, uses it mostly in purees and sauces. She makes a spring garlic sauce to accompany veal sweetbreads with potato gnocchi and braised baby leeks. The green garlic is sliced thin and cooked slowly in butter. Chicken stock is added, and the sauce is then pureed.

Perello particularly likes the color and flavor of the green parts.

Sometimes, if the garlic is really bulby, she says, I cut it off because its too garlicky.
Kinchs preferred method is to braise it in butter, olive oil and vegetable stock, then use it as a garnish for roasted meat. Its really, really mellow, says Kinch, who plans to open a new restaurant, Manresa, in Los Gatos next month.

Green garlic is also popular in Chinese cooking - hardly surprising, since garlic is native to Asia. The shoots are a handy and healthy ingredient in China during late winter and early spring, when green vegetables are scarce. In fact, the first place I remember seeing green garlic on a menu was at a San Jose restaurant serving Shanghainese cuisine. The accompanying recipe for stir-fried pork with green garlic is a rough approximation of that dish.

Green garlic isnt usually available at supermarkets, although stores with a lot of specialty produce may stock it. (Cosentinos usually has it during the season.) Its easiest to find at a farmers market. In many cases, farmers are selling the plants theyve thinned from a field of regular garlic. But some farmers say that as green garlics popularity has increased, theyve planted garlic that was never destined to grow to maturity. At the farmers market, green garlic will usually cost $1-$2 a bunch.

Live Earth Farm in Watsonville sells organic green garlic at the Willow Glen farmers market on Saturdays and in Los Gatos on Sundays. Owner Tom Broz says its easy to grow at home, even in a planter box. Depending on the season, he says, it can sometimes be harvested as early as February. And gardeners who do successive plantings can treat themselves to green garlic all summer.

If you would like to email yourself the recipe for later use, or share the recipe with your friends or family, enter the email addresses below and this recipe will be emailed to you and others as well.