medicinal herbal pesto*

This is one of those concoctions that turns out differently each time I make it, depending on what I have on hand. I almost always use basil and add lots of garlic or garlic scapes when they are in season. Nettles are one of my favorite additions – I use dried nettles and hydrate them by soaking them in a bit of warm water before using them. There are many other nutrient dense, wild herbs that can be used in this recipe. Try using 1 part culinary herbs with 1 part medicinal herbs. The lovely thing about this recipe is that you can easily customize it to your liking!

Here are a few wild herbs that work well in pesto ::

• Plantain
• Nettle
• Chickweed
• Lamb’s Quarter
• Dandelion Greens

Culinary herbs that work well ::

• Basil
• Sage
• Oregano
• Mint
• Thyme
• Marjoram

Medicinal-Herbal Pesto

Ingredients ::

• 1/2 -1 cup olive oil
• 1-3 cloves of garlic (omit if using garlic scapes)
• 1 cup chopped garlic scapes
• 1/2 cup basil
• 1 cup dried nettles (hydrated with warm water to make a paste)
• 1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts
• 1/4 shredded Parmesan or other hard cheese

Add olive oil, herbs and garlic to a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Add nuts and cheese and pulse again until desired consistency. This will keep in the fridge for about a week or you can freeze it for later use. It is good on bread, crackers, pizza or pasta. Or you can add it to soups and stews! Enjoy!