In Season: Green garlic

Rarely found in grocery stores, green garlic is one of those “elite” items that’s adored by farmers market aficionados. But if you want some, you’d better get in line early — because of its relative rarity, it tends to sell out quickly.

Not in the know? Green garlic really shouldn’t be as obscure as it is, because it’s just the young garlic plant before it reaches maturity. As garlic grows, the base of the plant forms a bulb that becomes a head of garlic. But before then, the plant looks like a slightly stocky green onion. And it tastes like ... garlic. But a gentler, more delicate garlic.

Crystal Organic farmer Nicolas Donck always plants extra garlic so he can harvest some of it green. For the past several Saturdays, the shoppers who form long lines in front of his stand at Morningside Farmers Market have been snapping it up by the handful.

Donck’s family likes green garlic, too. “We put it in stir-fries a lot, and we like green garlic in a salad,” he said. “We try to keep it as least-cooked as possible to preserve the flavor.”

Green garlic can be used in soups, sautés and vegetable dishes. Add it anywhere you’d like a hint of garlic, or substitute it where you might normally use green onions, chives or shallots: on baked potatoes, in scrambled eggs and omelets, on pizzas and in pasta dishes.

Look for green garlic at farmers markets through mid-May, possibly into early June. After that, the exotic and elusive green garlic turns into the more potent stuff we all already know and love.

At local farmers markets

Arugula, beets, bok choy, cabbage, carrots, celery, collards, endive, fennel, green garlic, hakurei turnips, herbs, kale, lettuce, mixed greens, parsnips, radishes, rutabagas, spinach, sweet potatoes, Swiss chard, tomatoes, turnips

From farther afield

Looking good: Chilean avocados; Florida beans; Chilean blueberries; Arizona and Mexican broccoli; Texas grapefruit; Chilean and Peruvian grapes; California and South Carolina greens; Italian kiwi fruit; California oranges; Chilean nectarines, peaches and raspberries; Washington rhubarb; California spinach; Florida summer squash and strawberries; Arizona and California tangelos

Coming in: California and Mexican asparagus, Florida corn and eggplant, Chilean kiwi fruit

Variable quality: California artichokes, Mexican beans, Texas and Mexican beets, Mexican blackberries, Texas and Mexican carrots, Mexican corn and eggplant, Texas greens, Mexican limes and mangoes, Honduran okra, Texas oranges, Guatemalan peas, Florida and Mexican radishes, California and Mexican raspberries, Mexican summer squash, California and Mexican strawberries, Florida tomatoes

Local reports and the Packer

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Green Garlic Biscuits

Hands on: 25 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Serves: 9

The toned-down (yet distinctly garlicky) flavor of green garlic is perfect when you want to taste garlic but don’t want to be surprised by a potent chunk. Serve these biscuits with dinner, or use them to make ham and cheese breakfast biscuits with a twist.

Note: If green garlic is not available, substitute 1 large shallot, finely chopped, and 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives.

5 tablespoons chilled butter, divided

2 bunches green garlic (8 to 10 plants), white and light green parts finely chopped

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons water

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon butter. Add the green garlic and cook 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Using a pastry blender, cut in the remaining 4 tablespoons butter until the mixture forms coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and green garlic-butter mixture, tossing with a fork, until the dough holds together.

(Alternate instructions: In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade, add the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Pulse a few times to combine. Cut the 4 tablespoons butter into small pieces and sprinkle on top of the flour mixture. Pulse until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and garlic-butter mixture and pulse until the dough holds together.)

Turn the dough onto a floured surface and form into a disk. Knead just a few times until smooth. Roll or pat the dough 3/4-inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or glass dipped in flour, cut out the biscuits. Place the biscuits about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet. Gather the trimmings and repeat forming and cutting until all the dough is used.