Pea Shoot Pesto {Recipe}

Pesto is the simplest sauce in the world. All you need are fresh herbs, a little salt, and oil. Basil is traditional but you can use any seasonal herb. You can even use a mortar and pestle or lots of knife work instead of a blender or food processor.

And yet, there are secrets to making a bold, balanced pesto.

First, don't skimp on the fat. Oil creates a smooth texture while holding the color and flavor of the herbs. Use high quality oil because the flavor comes through the final product. Oil also tones down the strong flavor of the greens. To prevent freezer burn, top a container of pesto with a layer of oil before freezing.

Always add a little acid. A splash of lemon juice or vinegar balances the richness of the oil and preserves the color.

Experiment seasonally. Basil pesto is a classic in the summer but don't leave pesto behind in the other seasons. Play with spinach and kale in the fall and microgreens in the winter and spring. I developed this recipe for customers of Swainway Urban Farm to sample at the farmers' market. Simply adapt the recipe below to your ingredients on hand!

Pea Shoot Pesto Recipe

2-3 garlic scapes (1/4-1/2 cup) or 1-3 cloves garlic 1 bag (2.5 oz) fresh pea shoots 1/2—1 teaspoon salt 1/3 cup olive, grapeseed, or sunflower oil 1 teaspoon white or rice wine vinegar

1. Wash scapes, removing both ends, or peel garlic. Chop roughly. 2. Place garlic, peashoots, and salt in food processor or blender. 3. Blend, drizzling in oil and vinegar as the mixture purees to your desired consistency. 4. Serve as a dip with veggies, spread for bread, or sauce for pasta. 5. Store in the fridge with a light covering of oil for up to ten days or freeze for future use.

Garlic Scapes - Why To Cut and How To Cook

At heart, I am a skeptical, lazy gardener. I question old-school farming practices, especially if they require me to work harder. I want evidence that I should do this or that to make my plants happy.

Every year I test a few traditional garden concepts, like removing tomato suckers, to find out whether they really benefit the plant's production. (I find no evidence that removing suckers is anything but suckers' work.) Two years ago, I used my garlic patch as a trial for the standard practice of removing the garlic scape to encourage bulb production.

Should You Cut Scapes?

Garlic scapes are the flower stalk of the garlic plant. The theory behind removing them is that by taking away the flower bud, the plant will put more energy into bulb production. Look below to see the difference between garlic with scapes removed on the right and those allowed to flower on left of plants grown in the same location and with same growing practices.

Clearly, scapes to inhibit bulb production. When removed, the garlic produces healthier, bigger bulbs. Because the scapes are edible, the gardener is rewarded for their work of removing the scape with a tasty food.

How To Eat Garlic Scapes

The garlic scape stalk is a dense cylinder of garlic-flavored goodness. At this time of year, I stop buying garlic and use chopped up fresh scapes for all my garlic needs. I add them to stir fry, soups, stocks, and pickles.

Garlic scapes are traditionally made into pesto by pureeing the scape with fresh herbs, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Garlic scape pesto can be used as a sauce for pasta, spread for sandwiches, or mixed with sour cream for a dip.

Store scapes in the fridge for up to two weeks. Alternatively, put freshly-cut ends in a container of water and keep at room temperature for a few days where you can enjoy the shapes. As a last resort, give one to your child to use as a magic wand or a sword! Lil, seen here a few years ago, love to play with scapes.

If you don't grow your own garlic but want to experiment with scapes, visit your local farmers' market. Farmers are only too happy to sell their edible plant pickings. Come see me at the Swainway/Northridge booth at Clintonville this weekend for organic Ohio scapes.

Make it Yourself: Pesto

'Tis the end of the basil growing season as a deep frost looms tonight. What to do with the all this basil? Make pesto, of course!

Every year at this time we make a huge batch of pesto and freeze it. Frozen pesto is the gem of the freezer. It’s great to bring to dinner with friends, give as gifts, and makes a great lifesaver for late night snacks and those “What am I going to make to dinner?” moments.

Pesto ingredients: • 5 cloves of garlic • 1/4 cup of pine nuts, toasted (optional) • 2 cups of fresh basil leaves • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded (optional, omit to make vegan) • Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste • 1/2 cup olive oil

Food processors make the most even texture, but if you don’t have one or prefer a more rustic approach, you can always use a mortar and pestle or just chop all ingredients and stir together.

In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast pine nuts for 3-5 minutes (until golden brown).

Combine garlic and pine nuts in the food processor and pulse until chopped. Add basil leaves, parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Pulse until blended. Slowly pour the olive oil in while the machine is running. Make sure to scrape the sides then pulse again until thoroughly mixed. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper, if needed.

For storage: this pesto is purposefully thick. Load into small jars within an inch of the top. Top off with olive oil to the very top of the jar before putting on the lid—this keeps the pesto underneath green and fresh for freezing.

If you don’t plan to give the pesto as gifts, and want to keep a stash for you and your family, pesto can easily be frozen in ice cube trays. Simply pop out once frozen and store in freezer bags.

When ready to use, simple set out on the counter or in a shallow pool of lukewarm water to thaw. Once thawed, you can keep it in the fridge and use the whole jar, or just take what you need and toss it back in the freezer—just be sure to replace that layer of olive oil on top first.

{Modified from the Freezer to Table class I led with Holly Davis earlier this year at Wild Goose Creative.}