Can I make my own fermented food? Of course! Friday Ferments will give you some great ideas to start your own kitchen experiments.
Don't have any parsley? No problem, you can replace it with carrot tops. put them in salads, or make this delicious pesto.
Carrot top pesto is a delicious zero waste condiment. Carrot tops have a lovely taste not dissimilar to parsley, hardly surprising since they come from the same family (apiaceae) as parsnips, coriander, fennel, and parsley. Carrot tops are high in vitamin C, vitamin K, and potassium and it's nutritional profile is increased with fermentation.
- 150g Carrot Tops
- 150g Spinach
- 100g Sunflower/pumpkin seeds
- 100g Cashew nuts
- 200g Olive Oil
- 50g Garlic (crushed)
- rind of one lemon.
- 2% brine (1tsp or 5g salt/cup or 250ml water )
Method:
Roughly chop nuts, seeds and greens. Blend all ingredients together and refrigerate for 4 hours to allow flavours to blend.
For older carrot tops chop more finely.
Fermented Alternative: You can increase the shelf life and probiotic profile of your pesto by fermenting. Leave space at the top of your jar to layer 1-2cm of 2% salt brine. Cover with a cloth or loose lid so no bugs get in and leave to ferment for 3-7 days.
How to Use:
Wow your guest by serving it spread over roasted baby carrots!
Use it like any other pesto. Mix it with pasta, serve it as a dip, add it to a cold potato salad, toss it with steamed veges, on a pizza or in a sandwich.