Pesto Misdemeanors + Lawn Pesto Recipe

A few weeks ago, I prepped, jarred, and froze my first 2023 batch of pesto. My husband asked how it went. "I feel whole again," I joked.

Pesto tops my list of favorite foods. Combining the most decadent, tasty flavors--garlic, basil (or other greens), olive oil, cheese, nuts, salt--into a savory, creamy paste almost feels like cheating.

In my early 20s, I volunteered for the Pesto Festo at Barlow's Mill in Fredonia, NY. The event was a blast, with farm tours, activities for kids, and a pesto-testing contest. Local restaurants prepared their variation on pesto, and attendees tasted and voted for their favorite.

My volunteer role was to hand out pesto samples at the tasting table. I couldn't help but notice that we had a lot more pesto than we'd need for the event. Let's just say I sampled freely. A youngster working alongside me got swept up in my pesto passion. We gushed over the pestos as we partook, not trying to hide our gusto.
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The following year, I showed up bright-eyed to volunteer again. A new sign greeted me:

'Volunteers will receive a limited number of sample tickets for their time at the event.'

I believe I was personally responsible for this new rule. I send blessings to the youth I corrupted (or enlightened?).

Image: springtime lawn harvest includes dandelion and violet flowers (left) and dandelion, self-heal, and nettle leaves.

Springtime Lawn Pesto

Every batch of pesto I make is different. Start with the guidelines below and tweak them however you wish! I made this pesto without cheese; feel free to add about a cup of freshly grated Romano or Parmesan cheese, and more olive oil as needed. 

• ~5 cups edible greens and flowers from an unsprayed lawn: ex. dandelion (Taraxacum officinale), violet (Viola sororia), self-heal (Prunella vulgaris), lamb's quarters (Chenopodium album), chickweed (Stellaria media), garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)*

• 2 cups raw seeds (pumpkin, sunflower) or 2.5 cups raw nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pecans) - or a combo

• 1.5 cups extra virgin olive oil

• 12-15 garlic cloves

• 6 Tbsp lemon juice (bonus if you add the zest!)

• 2 tsp salt, or to taste

Toast the nuts or seeds on a dry skillet until they begin to brown. Remove from the heat and let cool. 
Process garlic, nuts, and half of the olive oil until well-chopped. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Add more olive oil if pesto is thicker than desired. Voilà! 

*I don't include details on identifying wild greens in this recipe. Be sure to consult a guidebook or trusted botanical teacher/resource to ensure you have the right plant. Learn about many plants I listed above on Rosalee de la Forêt's herbal article page.

*When using fresh stinging nettle in foods, it's often recommended to blanch or sauté the greens first. Uncooked/undried nettle can sting, and we don't want that in our food. However, when the stinging hairs are manually broken (like in a food processor), the sting is deactivated as well. I've never been stung from eating pesto with fresh nettle in it, but to be extra cautious, blanch or sauté this herb before adding to pesto.