Permaculture Design Principle: Produce No Waste.
When you have an extra bit of vegetable matter such a the tops of radishes, turnips, carrots, etc., it’s always important to remember that these things can still be eaten! There are hard-earned vitamins and minerals in those leaves. Those little plants spend weeks photosynthesizing their hearts out through those leaves to produce the yummy root that you are now devouring. Let’s honor that. (Exception to this rule: parsnips. I’m pretty sure parsnips tops can be irritating to the skin, and so it seems like they should not be consumed- correct me if I’m wrong!)
Pesto is basically any leafy thing that has been mashed and cut up with nuts, oil, salt, pepper, and garlic. It’s simple, it’s delicious and it can be used oh-so-many ways.
Turnip Top Pesto:
300 g turnip greens (about 4 cups)
90 g. (about 3/4 cups) nuts of your choice- almonds, pine nuts, pecans, etc. DO NOT recommend walnuts
3 cloves garlic
6 Tbsp oil- preferably olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse to get going, then turn on until you see the creamy emulsification of the oils and water of the vegetables begin. Use on pasta, sandwiches, eat it by the spoonful, I don’t care what you do, but enjoy!
This makes about 1 pint of pesto- that’s a lot, but it will keep if you freeze it!
Localism Rating: appx. 62% local
That is a high calorie count, but do remember that this is essentially a spread and should be used with consideration to how precious those calories are and how precious an amount we need.
Happy eating!
Molly
Molly McCahan 
Leave a Reply