Pesto that is perfect as we head into summer

One thing that I learned in nutrition school that really stuck with me with a profound love of plants. Edible plants, medicinal plants, even plants that can harm us if used incorrectly (poison hemlock, anyone?)… it all fascinates me.

That might be why spring is one of my favourite seasons. It is one of the best and most abundant times of year for things like foraging, a skill that I really think everyone should work on learning and developing. This civilised culture that we all live in and are used to is actually very temporary… it could all shut down in an instant. What would we all do then? Are you prepared if something like that were to happen?

That’s 100% why I was so excited to learn about foraging back in my herbal class in nutrition school and then in the dozens of books that I have read on the subject since then. I have tried finding and ethically harvesting dozens of things, from garlic mustard to morel mushrooms. My favourite thing to make in the spring is a wild weed pesto that someone I went to nutrition school showed me how to make.

But then today, I came across this recipe and now I am in love. Pumpkin seeds are one of my absolute favourite protein and healthy fats, and they are loaded with things like omega-3 fatty acids, magnesium, zinc, manganese and vitamin K. Fresh basil is always growing in abundance in my garden, and I always have lemons on hand as well.

The foraged food in this recipe is the garlic scapes. These green curly shoots that grow from hardneck garlic plants are garlicky, spicy and usually super abundant where I live. They are the part of the garlic bulb that farmers cut away so that the energy is diverted to the garlic bulb underground, but scapes themselves are incredibly delicious. A lot of the farmers that I know from here at the market will sell them to you for super cheap or even give them away sometimes!

Try whipping up this recipe and see what you think… garlic scapes are frequently available at farmer’s markets everywhere where I live, especially this time of year. Enjoy!

Garlic Scape Pumpkin Seed Pesto:

· 2 cups garlic scapes, chopped

· 1½ cups Parmesan cheese, shredded

· ¼ cup pumpkin seeds (you could also use pine nuts here)

· ¼ cup fresh basil

· Juice of 1 lemon

· Solid pinch of sea salt and a few grinds of freshly cracked black pepper

· 1¼ cups extra-virgin olive oil

1) Place all of the ingredients except for the olive oil in a food processor

2) Process on high until everything is broken down and the texture is overall smooth

3) Turn the food processor on High and stream the olive oil in until it reaches the consistency you want

4) Store in an airtight container in the fridge or else try freezing it in ice cube trays to use throughout the year