Tearing off and tossing (or composting) the greens on a bunch of carrots is practically a reflex for most of us. It was for me until recently, when I discovered that carrot greens are more than edible — they’re downright tasty, and nutritious, too.
With an intensely carroty flavor and aroma, carrot greens possess the pleasant earthy bitterness common for leafy greens but with a feathery texture that feels like an herb. Nutritionally, they’re rich in vitamin A, potassium and health-protective plant compounds. To keep them, remove them from the carrots and store separately, in a bag in the refrigerator, as you would other greens. If you keep them attached, the leaves will draw moisture and nutrients from the root and the carrots themselves will not last as long. (That’s one reason they are often removed at the grocery store.)
You can use carrot greens as you would parsley or cilantro, sprinkling them on a dish as a garnish, or tossing them in salads or salsas; or you can cook them as you would beet greens or kale, sauteed with garlic and oil and a splash of vinegar.
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For this recipe, I turned a whole head of carrot tops into a lovely, lemony pesto, using the same core ingredients as a classic basil pesto, and including fresh basil leaves to add a layer of sweet, floral essence to balance the earthy flavor of the carrot greens.
Use it like you would any pesto, to toss with pasta, spread on sandwiches or toasts, or to drizzle over cooked potatoes, eggs, chicken breast and so on. It’s a sauce that makes the most of an excellent ingredient that has been at your fingertips all along, just waiting to be discovered rather than discarded.
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