Carrot Top Pesto

Oooooh yeah. If you want something bright, refreshing, garlicky, and completely built to taste, I’ve got the recipe for you! Make it now or read for the deets 🙂

The farmers market is my summer jam, baby. The smells, veggies, coffee, vendors that are friends. I never fail to run into people I know, and the weekly chance to share a smile, a laugh, and learn something about growing veg is unmatched in the daily doldrums of a M-F work week.

Last week I needed carrots. Made an amazing pork barley soup in the crock pot. I should get that recipe on here for you… But carrots.

The carrots at the farmers market come with tops. And as fun as it is to keep them on and roast them up, they don’t really get used, you know?

This year I am making the home more sustainable, and reducing our footprint even more. We have very little trash and use very little single use anything, so we do well. But I want to make it better. Because that’s a goal with some VErY long lasting consequences. So I have started to find ways to use as much as possible of every food-stuff. Beet greens, chicken bones, and onion skins are all usable, be it in stock, a salad, or chimichuri sauce. Composting is a new but welcome addition. And the garden is in full swing.

I digress…

I have heard about carrot top pesto before. And we love that stuff around here. So why not? I had a literal bunch of it. But I needed to zig instead of zag, as I didn’t have enough pine nuts, and only asiago as opposed to parm. Which brings me to something I can’t forget to tell you: Don’t Salt This Pesto! The cheese adds more than enough salt and if you choose to add more you’re going to end up with inedible pesto. And that’s just a crappy waste. So just don’t. Please, and thank you. You’re also very welcome.

Otherwise, this is an easy, inexpensive flavor bomb for pasta, rice, and every protein. You can adjust the garlic to your taste, and use cashews or pine nuts in place of the walnuts. You do you, and whatever you do, I think you’re going to love it.

Let’s get to it!

Servings: 16 T | Prep-time: 10 minutes

Tools:

• High speed blender
• 1/2 pint jar
• Measuring tools

Ingredients:

• 2 C loose packed carrot tops, about 1 bunch, large stems removed
• 1 C cilantro
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1/4 C raw walnuts
• 1/4 C olive, avocado, or grape seed oil
• 2 T white vinegar
• 2 medium slices asiago, about 30g

Make it!

Clean your carrot tops and cilantro and pop into blender.

Add garlic, walnuts, oil, and vinegar. Blend until smooth

Add your cheese and process about another 30 seconds, until just incorporated.

Transfer to a mason jar, cover, and fridge for a couple weeks OR pour into ice cube trays, freeze, and keep in a storage bag in the freezer for up to 6 months.

Ta-da! Doesn’t get much easier than that!

Eat your veggies, fronds and all, and stay summery, my friends.
love ya!
xo ~ c