Carrot Top Pesto & Furikake

One of our favorite things to do at markets (along with making sales, obviously!) is to see and learn what vegetables are in season right now. We love shopping from our fellow vendors because we get what we don’t always get at grocery stores - greens (tops) of vegetables!

Here is one way to enjoy fresh and massive green leaves from farm stands! Whether you intend to preserve it for later use or eat it right way, the best is to process it as soon as possible to maintain the freshness!

What’s your favorite way to eat those green tops?

Ingredients

Pesto

2 cups        Carrot tops​​​​​​​

1/3 cup       Pine nuts (or walnuts)

2                  Garlic cloves

1/3 cup       Extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup       Nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp        Shio Koji (or 1/4 tsp Salt)

Black pepper

Furikake

Carrot stems (from 1 bunch of carrots)

Sesame seeds, salt, fish flakes, etc.                  

Instructions: 

Pesto

1. Remove the stems and wash the leaves very well. (Keep the stems for Furikake!)
2. In a food processor, toss the leaves, pine nuts, and garlic cloves and pulse until finely chopped.
3. Drizzle olive oil little by little and blend until well incorporated.
4. Add nutritional yeast, Shio Koji (or salt), and black pepper and blend them again. Taste and adjust seasonings. 

Furikake

1. Chop the stems thinly.
2. Sauce the stems with a little bit of oil.
3. Add your choice of seasoning (sesame seeds, salt, fish flakes, etc.).