In our garden classroom, we are always looking for ways to minimize waste and recycle resources back into the garden. For example, if our cooking class has food scraps left over, our way of recycling them is to feed them to the worms to turn into rich compost for our garden beds. But what if we don't have worms at home? Are there recipes we can cook that utilize the entire ingredient and don't leave scraps? Why, yes!
Nasturtiums are one of our favorite things growing in the garden! They don't need much attention to thrive and yet they still provide the garden with vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and greens. In addition to being beautiful, both nasturtium flowers AND leaves are edible! You can add the nasturtium's peppery flavor to many things, but one of the tastiest ways to eat nasturtiums is in pesto! This pesto can be a spread in sandwiches, used as a sauce for your pasta, a marinade on chicken or fish, or a fun addition to your breakfast eggs! Try to pick the smaller, dark green leaves for this as they have the biggest peppery flavor.
Nasturtium Pesto
Ingredients
2 cups packed nasturtium leaves, plus a handful of nasturtium flowers
2 cups packed nasturtium leaves, plus a handful of nasturtium flowers
1-2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
juice of 1/2 large lemon
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method
Put everything but the salt and pepper into a food processor and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Put everything but the salt and pepper into a food processor and mix until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
**Note: You can freeze this pesto for future use...that is if you have any leftover
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