Three delicious recipes for pesto that use up unexpected garden leaves

Kale Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 2 packed cups of kale leaves (woody stems composted)

  • 2 packed cups of basil leaves

  • 1 cup of pine nuts

  • 1 cup of freshly grated Romano cheese

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp pepper

  • 1 cup of high quality, delicious olive oil

Steps:

  1. Rough pulse everything together in a food processor or a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec.

  2. Slowly add the olive oil while it is blending.

  3. Eat fresh.

  4. Or freeze: put baking paper on a large 1/2in to 1 inch sided cookie sheet/baking tray. Pour the pesto onto the paper until it is even and rises to half the sides of the cookie sheet/baking tray. Put in in the freezer so that it lies flat and freeze overnight. Cut to desired portion sizes and freeze between sheets of baking paper in a ziplock bag or better yet a stasher container!

Carrot top and Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups of packed carrot leaves (woody stems discarded)

  • 2 cups of packed basil leaves

  • 2 cloves of garlic

  • 1 cup of walnuts

  • 1 tsp salt

  • 1/2 tsp pepper

  • 1 cup of high quality, delicious olive oil

Steps:

  1. Rough pulse everything together in a food processor or a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec.

  2. Slowly add the olive oil while it is blending.

  3. Eat fresh.

  4. Or freeze: put baking paper on a large 1/2in to 1 inch sided cookie sheet/baking tray. Pour the pesto onto the paper until it is even and rises to half the sides of the cookie sheet/baking tray. Put in in the freezer so that it lies flat and freeze overnight. Cut to desired portion sizes and freeze between sheets of baking paper in a ziplock bag or better yet a stasher container!

Lemony Beet Greens, Baby Spinach, and Basil Pesto

Ingredients

  • 2 cups of thoroughly washed beet greens (get the sand out of the stem grooves!)

  • 2 cups of fresh basil leaves

  • 2 cups of baby spinach

  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts

  • 1/3 cup of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

  • 1/4 cup of pine nuts

  • 2 garlic cloves

  • the juice and zest of half a lemon

  • salt and pepper to taste

  • 1/2 cup of olive oil

Steps

  1. Rough pulse everything together in a food processor or a high powered blender like a Vitamix or Blendtec.

  2. Slowly add the olive oil while it is blending.

  3. Eat fresh (especially marvelous over a piece of fish - the lemon flavor is incredible).

  4. Or freeze: Put baking paper on a large 1/2in to 1 inch sided cookie sheet/baking tray. Pour the pesto onto the paper until it is even and rises to half the sides of the cookie sheet/baking tray. Put in in the freezer so that it lies flat and freeze overnight. Cut to desired portion sizes and freeze between sheets of baking paper in a ziplock bag or better yet a reusable stasher container.

Christina Manning Lebek