I was pulling my carrots by the tons and having tons of fun doing it when I realized that I had no idea’s for all the greens. I thought to myself… surely there must be SOMETHING I can do other than feed them to my goats. Don’t get me wrong, I love that nothing goes to waste at my house because I have chickens and goats! I especially like to feed them my infested plants (aphid or wilt) and eradicate infestations quick and painless.  Anyway… I knew they were edible I just needed to find a great way to eat them! I found it! Pesto!

I found a great pesto recipe online and switched the basil for carrot tops. After you make the pesto to your liking you can put it in a mason jar and cover the top with olive oil and Presto… Pesto! It will save for a couple of weeks covered and in the fridge.  I made a chicken penne pesto that night and then had that same dish cold like pasta salad for lunch the next day.  I bet I could have added diced cucumber to it and that would have been delicious! Hmmm… note to self!

I told my sister about my fun discovery and she said she does that with beet tops too! Oh the fun! My next adventure is figuring out how to preserve it in a mason jar long term. Anyone can buy a jar of pesto at the store on a dry non refrigerated shelf… there must be a way! I’ll keep you posted!

Pesto Recipe:

2 Cups packed Carrot tops

2 Large Garlic Cloves

1/2 Cup grated Parmigian Cheese (I like romano)

1/3 Cup Walnuts (you can use pine nuts for traditional taste but these are more affordable)

1/4 Ground Black Pepper

2/3 Cup Olive Oil

Process everything except the oil in a food processor. I’ve heard that blenders work but you’ll get a different texture. Grind it till its semifine. With a slow stream add the Olive Oil while the food processor is running. Presto…. Pesto!!