Working at Growing Chefs! I have the pleasure of working with many chefs, cooks, gardeners and other folks that are passionate about food. It is always inspiring to hear them talk about their favourite vegetables and what they cook with them. I am constantly learning something new about food. That is why I was surprised (but also not surprised) when Selma, our Chef Educator at Growing Chefs!, mentioned in a team meeting that she would be making pesto with carrot tops. “What?” I thought. “You can eat that?” I’ve eaten a lot of carrots in my life so this seemed like a strange thing for me not to know. I happily bought some carrots (with tops) and along with my kid and some help from google made a carrot top pesto. Turns out carrot greens are mildly sweet, easy to work with and totally tasty. During my google research, I learned that you can make a pesto out many types of greens (arugula, parsley, basil etc…) and that pesto recipes are really very flexible (you only need a few key ingredients to make it work and you can easily substitute with what you have). Best of all it is a great way to use greens that are a bit wilted and might otherwise go in the compost.
We have included a video tutorial of how to make carrot top pesto below as well as the recipe that we adapted below (we have nut allergies in our house so we opted to make our pesto with pumpkin seeds instead of nuts). We have also included a Make Your Own Pesto Worksheet that will help you design your own pesto. I hope you enjoy it and are inspired to make pesto of your own this summer.
The below recipe is highly adaptable based on your preferences and the ingredients you have available to you. Download our Make Your Own Pesto Worksheet and explore more ways you can adapt this recipe and make it your own.
Carrot Top Pesto Recipe:
Tools:
a zipper bag (see below for directions using a food processor/bender)
measuring cups
measuring spoons
knife or scissors
Yield: 1 cup of pesto (enough for about 4 portions of pasta)
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
2 cups cleaned carrot tops
½ cup parmesan cheese
¼ cup pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions:
Clean your carrot tops and cut (with knife or scissors) into very small pieces. Compost the stems that are looking brown.
Place all ingredients in your zipper bag.
Squeeze out the air and seal it tight.
Crush your pesto (from the outside of the bag) by using a mug, rolling pin or anything else suitable.
Use a spoon to taste your pesto
Adjust the flavours to your liking
Enjoy as a pasta sauce on sandwiches, on salad, meats, fish or tofu.
*If you want to use a food processor or blender, simply place all the ingredients in the bowl of the food processor and blend until smooth. If your pesto is too thick add some extra oil.
