No-Waste Recipes: Homemade Carrot Top Pesto

Carrots are one of my favorite vegetables to grow in the garden. They can be grown in the spring, summer, fall, and even into the winter if you choose the right varieties, and they grow well both in the ground and containers. Carrots are one crop that I can never plant enough of. Everyone in the family (even the kids) enjoy eating carrots both raw and cooked. While we always compost, I still hated tossing out the beautiful greens each time we harvested.

Solution - make carrot top pesto! I was very surprised at how good this was. You can use it the same ways as basil pesto and store it in the freezer for future meals. I try to have basil growing year-round and have it indoors during the cold months, so I will usually throw a few leaves in the blender along with some parsley. However, I have also made this without the basil, and it was still delicious!

One fun way to use the entire carrot in a meal is to roast the carrot roots and top them with pesto made from the leaves.

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Makes one 16 oz. (pint) sized jar

Ingredients:

2 cups (or so) of green carrot tops
Handful of basil (optional)
Handful of parsley
3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
½ cup of roasted cashews
½ cup of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Recipe:

• Pulse the carrot greens, basil (if using), parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and roasted cashews in a blender or food processor.

• Scrape the sides of the blender or food processor and add the olive oil slowly while blending (if using a food processor) or add ¼ cup at a time and blend (if using a blender).

• Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper to taste.

• Store in refrigerator or freeze in small batches for later use.

Note: I omit parmesan cheese in this recipe, but I usually will add it as a garnish to whatever I end up making with the carrot top pesto.

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