This simple recipe is part of a series I've created on foraging for wild spring greens. Foraging for food is not as daunting as it might seem. Much of what you'll need for this recipe can likely be found a few steps from your back door. If you're looking for more information on common plants to add to your weekly spring meals then check out my other article, A Beginner’s Guide to Foraging Spring Greens. If you enjoy this pesto recipe I think you'll also enjoy my piece on Salted Wild Greens, a recipe adapted from Pascal Baudar. Give them both a look.
Wild Greens Pesto
Ingredients:
- 2 cups packed wild greens (example from Maine: chickweed - dandelion - garlic mustard - wintercress.)
- 1 cup packed basil
- 1 cup packed parsley
- (You can omit the basil and parsley and go with 4 cups wild greens if you like the taste - but if you want a traditional pesto flavor then use some garden herbs.)
- 1 cup olive oil plus a little more
- 1 cup chopped wild or farm garlic
- 1 cup nut or seed of choice (pine nut, sunflower seed, pumpkin seed, walnut, etc.)
- 4 tbsp grated hard cheese of your choice
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- Salt to taste
Cooking Instructions:
- Put everything into a food processor or blender.
- Blend until you have a rough paste or the consistency you prefer.
- Scoop into sterilized jars. Top with more olive oil.
- Store in the fridge for a month or in the freezer for much longer. Pesto also freezes conveniently into ice-cube trays. Once frozen, you can pop them out and store in a freezer bag and pull out cubes as needed for a meal.
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About Jenna Darcy
Jenna Rozelle is a New England BHA Board Member and Outreach Coordinator, a professional forager and a HuntToEeat Ambassador. Follow her on Instagram @JennaRozelle.