Has anyone else been feeling the pinch lately? As daily headlines continue to cover increasing grocery store costs, troubling supply chain issues and a general rise in global food insecurity, I find myself paying particularly close attention to my own food habits. In an effort to save money and conserve resources, I’ve been focused on finding ways to eat closer to home (hello, Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market!), with mostly inexpensive ingredients and with as little unnecessary food waste as possible.

I’d like to think I do this all the time anyway, but we all know it’s easier to turn a blind eye when the economic pressure isn’t on. We all know how it feels to buy a well-intentioned bag of spinach from the grocery store only to rediscover it a week later, untouched, completely spoiled and destined for the trash. What a rotten feeling.

So, last week, after buying and roasting some beautiful Parisian carrots I picked up from Rosewater Farmstead at the Farmers’ Market, I found myself holding the “undesirable” part of the vegetable over the trash can, ready to absentmindedly discard the carrot greens without a second thought, but I paused. I realized I didn’t have it in me to waste something so perfectly edible that was locally grown, harvested and sold with love right here in Columbus directly from the farmer herself.

I quickly flipped through my mental Rolodex of recipe ideas and nearly screamed with delight when I realized I had everything I needed to turn these beautiful local carrot greens into a deliciously versatile pesto!

Whatever that feeling is, it’s got to be the exact opposite of that rotten feeling of accidental food waste, and it’s a feeling that I’m content to keep chasing!

Pesto is one of those sauces that feels a lot fancier than it is. Sure, you can go all out and make the very traditional basil-and-(very expensive)-pine-nut version, but honestly, pesto can be made utilizing virtually any green (including that forgotten bag of spinach) and any type of nut. The key ingredients are herbs, olive oil, nuts, Parmesan, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper. That’s it. Outside of that, you really only need about five to 10 minutes and a good blender or food processor.

I was quite proud of the humble sauce I whipped up from the carrot greens and some walnuts I had in the pantry. A brief moment of presence, accountability and resourcefulness transformed what would have been food waste into a versatile pesto that prompted a plethora of meal ideas for the week.

The first, most obvious choice was a simple pasta dish. Boiled noodles tossed with the pesto and a bit of the pasta water, a few cherry tomatoes, halved, and a generous sprinkling of fresh-cracked black pepper came together in about 10 minutes to put a super easy and delicious dinner on the table! Higher-protein substitutions and additions are easy for this one as well – grilled chicken would elevate the dish nicely, as would adding white beans or substituting chickpea pasta for the traditional noodles.

The pesto continued to transform our meals throughout the week, contributing to quick and healthy hummus, pesto and veggie wraps for several lunches as well as a particularly healthy variation on the idea of a loaded baked potato composed of pesto and ricotta cheese slathered on oven-roasted, locally produced sweet potatoes I snagged from HalleluYah Gardens’ booth at the Market!

It’s hard to believe that the part of the carrot I was simply going to throw out ended up being the most delicious part of my weekly meal rotation, but it did.

May we all strive to use creativity to combat food waste, turning wilted spinach or discarded greens into something as resourceful as it is delicious!

CARROT TOP PESTO

Ingredients:
1 bunch carrot greens (about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup walnuts
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup olive oil
2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
Kosher salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions:
■ Wash and dry the carrot greens.
■ Into a food processor or blender, add the garlic and walnuts and pulse until broken down into small pieces.
■ Add the carrot tops and lemon juice and pulse again until evenly combined.
■ With the blender or food processor at its lowest speed, drizzle the olive oil into the mix until it becomes a sauce-like consistency.
■ Add the Parmesan cheese and season with salt and pepper. Pulse until combined and taste to adjust any ratios to your preference.
■ Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and enjoy!

Kristin is a Columbus local and a graduate of MUW’s Culinary Arts Program. She lives downtown with her husband Jon and her naughty cat Sokka. In her free time she enjoys baking, making stained glass art and hanging out with her friends. If you see her in town, say hi!

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