RECIPE: Mint Pesto (vegan | contains nuts | fermented)

Ingredients:

• Spearmint (wild grown from the homestead gardens)
• Parsley
• Garlic Scapes (homestead grown and fermented from 2022's summer harvest)
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Pistachios
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Spices
• Ferment starter (from fermented garlic scapes)​

Important Note about Ingredients:

This recipe can be modified in many ways...for example:

• You don't have to use fermented garlic scapes; you can use fresh scapes or actual garlic.
• You don't have to use spearmint; you can use peppermint, apple mint, chocolate mint etc.
• You don't have to use the nuts I chose; you can use pine nuts like pesto traditionally uses or you can use another option.  You don't have to use 3 varieties; you can use one or two or more if you're so inclined. Just note the various ways different nuts break down when ground/processed and how that feels consistency wise in the pesto and what your preference is. 
• You can use plain extra virgin olive oil, of you can use a flavored or infused olive oil.
• You are more than welcome to add cheese!! Typically a Parmesan is used but you can also use a Romano if you'd like.  

Directions:

Begin by preparing the spearmint and parsley by washing and de-stemming them. Set them aside together in a bowl (like the first picture on the left above).

Using a food processor, lightly blend the mint and parsley together. Set aside in the same bowl.

Gather your scapes (pictured in the second picture in the middle above).

Using a food processor, lightly blend the scapes. Add to the bowl of blended mint and parsley. Set aside.

Using a food processor, lightly blend the almonds, pistachios and cashews (as shown in the first picture directly above on the left).  Add to the bowl of blended mint, parsley and garlic scapes. Mix it all together with a spatula until it's all well incorporated. Set aside.

Spoon the blend of mint, parsley, scapes and nuts into the food processor.  You can do this step in stages/phases; no need to fit it all into the food processor in one turn.  

Secure the top of the food processor and begin to slowly blend or pulse the mixture while slowly pouring in a few splashes of garlic scape ferment starter liquid (the liquid that is in the jar of garlic scapes).  I'd  say at least 1/3 of a cup per food processor cycle.  Set garlic scape ferment started aside.  Once that is complete begin to add the extra virgin olive oil very slowly as well. Use up to a half a cup of olive oil,

As you blend stop every so often to taste the flavors in the pesto and consistency.  Do you feel like you need more oil, ferment starter or to add more of the mixture of mint, pesto, scape, parsley? This new personal preferences.  You can even transfer at this point to a blender for those who like a more  processed.  (View the pic below:)
​
​Gather your ball jars.  
Spoon the pesto in the jar and cover with a thin layer of olive oil then refrigerate.  ,  

NOTE about ingredients:

You may have noticed that the ingredients don't have measurements or amounts next to them.  That's largely in part because I see recipes as templates for exploration.  I also believe that we all have preferences; I may like a more creamy pesto, you may like a chunky one.  You may like a pesto without spices and I may like a pesto that does contain spices.  Let this be that opportunity to not be confined by exacts numbers and measurements and instead be held by your intuition.

With that in mind I generally follow a general rubric of:

• 2 cups -- Spearmint (wild grown from the homestead gardens)
• 2 cups -- Parsley
• 1 Garlic Scapes (homestead grown and fermented from 2022's summer harvest)
• 1/3 cup -- Cashews
• 1/3 cup -- Almonds
• 1/3 cup --Pistachios
• 1/3 cup -- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (to begin with, you can add more as needed.)
  
• Spices (optional; I used a touch of salt as well as garlic and herb spices)
• Ferment starter (from fermented garlic scapes)​

If you have any questions let us know!
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