If you purchase fresh carrots or grow them yourself, you end up with a lot of carrot tops. We grow carrots at Olive Branch Gardens and I love seeing them grow throughout the season.
They take a long time to go from a tiny seed to a full grown carrot is well worth the effort. Its also a surprise when you harvest them, because the only part of the carrot you can see are the carrot tops. However those pretty green leaves do NOT taste good raw. Don't throw them out because you can make something with them.
But what should we do with them? Make PESTO! Carrot top pesto is soo easy to make, and it freezes beautifully. It is a great addition for SO many foods like pizza (always my first thought), sandwiches, pasta, veggie dip, tacos, on top of meat, with toast or as a basic condiment. Nothing tastes bad with a little pesto. Do yourself a favor and stock your refrigerator and freezer with this go-to carrot top pesto.
Carrot Top Pesto
Equipment
- food processor or high powdered blender
Materials
- 1 cup Carrot tops or a very big handful!
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- 3 pieces garlic cloves
- 1 whole lemon juiced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp nutritional yeast - optional. Will taste delicious still without it!
Instructions
- Place all the ingredients in the food processor or blender and enjoy!
NOTE - this does not blend as easily as using a flat plant like basil or spinach. It will take a bit longer (about 4 totally minutes) - especially when using the vitamix. Be patient and continue to press down. It will be easier for it all to blend if you want to cut the carrot tops before adding them to the food processor.
How to Freeze
I like to put them into small mason jars, and simply stick them in the freezer. The reason why it is best to freeze small batches is because it is best practice that once you thaw a food out, it is used within several days.
Hope you enjoy for many meals to come! We certainly will 🙂
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