Carrot tops have a fresh, herbal flavor, somewhat like parsley with a slight carrot note and mild bitterness.
1. Make Pesto
One of the best uses.
Basic Recipe:
- 2 cups packed carrot greens
- ½ cup walnuts or pine nuts (toast them first – see below)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1–2 tablespoons lemon juice – taste after each tablespoon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Toast nuts:
- Spread walnuts on a baking sheet
- Bake at 350 degrees for 5-8 minutes
- Stir once halfway through.
- Remove when fragrant
For carrot-top pesto, you simply:
- Wash and dry the carrot greens thoroughly.
- Remove any thick or yellow stems.
- Put the greens, nuts, garlic, Parmesan (if using), lemon juice, and a pinch of salt into a food processor or blender. I find a blender works best.
- Pulse a few times.
- Slowly drizzle in olive oil while blending until you reach the consistency you like.
- Taste and adjust salt, lemon, or garlic.
You can use immediately as:
- A pasta sauce (stir into hot pasta)
- A spread for sandwiches or toast
- A topping for roasted beets, carrots, potatoes, or other vegetables
- A sauce for grilled chicken, fish, or beans
The hot food warms the pesto; you generally don’t cook the pesto itself. In fact, prolonged cooking tends to dull the fresh herbal flavor that makes pesto appealing.
Or
You can freeze the pesto – we froze our pesto in quart size freezer bags.
- Measure the pesto into desired quantity
- Spoon into freezer bags
- Flatten the freezer bag out and place into freezer
Want the full garden-to-kitchen story? Check out our Carrots: From Garden To Table guide to learn how to preserve and enjoy fresh homegrown carrots right from your garden.
“For therefore he sent unto us in Babylon, saying, This captivity is long: build ye houses, and dwell in them; and plant gardens, and eat the fruit of them.” Jeremiah 29:28
Stay rooted my friends. 🌱
