In April I began planting a pollinator garden on the roof of our townhome in Seattle. It includes culinary and medicinal herbs, flowers, and native plants and trees to attract Insects, caterpillars, butterflies, bees, hummingbirds and other birds. I have an abundance of parsley!
photo and recipe adapted from Elise Bauer, www.simplyrecipes.com
Prep Time 15 minutes, Servings: 5, Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Ingredients:
- 1 cup shelled raw walnuts, about 3 1/2 ounces
- 2 cups chopped parsley, about 1 bunch
- 1/2 cup chopped mint
- 1/2 cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese – for lactose intolerance or vegan use yellow nutritional yeast
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
Method:
- Roast the walnuts in an iron skillet until lightly browned. This adds flavor and aids digestion.
- Pulse ingredients in food processor for a few seconds to combine.
- Drizzle in the olive oil: While the food processor is running, drizzle in the oil enough to incorporate it and form a paste.
- Use the pesto immediately as a dip for veggies (snap peas are in season); as a spread for all types of wraps – wheat, spelt, almond; or on pasta – wheat, rice, veggie, chickpea.
- Stays fresh chilled, for several days.
An excellent resource on pollinator gardens is Nature’s Best Hope by Douglas W. Tallamy: https://www.workman.com/products/natures-best-hope/hardback
