A light and fresh dish to the delight of any spring table.

While carrots can be roasted or poached, sauteed or boiled, cooked rather in any which way, grilled has always been one of my favorites. Maybe because it is so unexpected while utterly delicious. Try serving this salad with grilled shrimp and spicy Thai dressing, or add to a nice bed of mixed greens topped with thick slices of steak and blue cheese. It is completely versatile.

Pesto, to me, is one of the most versatile sauces. Wait, is it a sauce? Or is it a dip? I actually don’t know what I would classify it as, other than a combination of ingredients that have the possibility to be simply delicious. As controversial as it may be, basil pesto, while very good, is not my favorite. Have dried tomatoes? Make dried tomato pesto. Garlic scapes, stinging nettle, or in this case, pea sprouts… give it a try.

I had a really difficult time deciding whether to call this recipe Carrot Top Pesto, or Carrot Top Salsa Verde. As you can see, the salsa verde won, but it was a close tie. This is my fusion of pesto and salsa verde with carrots tops in center stage. Think of this sauce slathered on grilled meats, kebabs, or roasted vegetables….

I remember as a little girl sitting in the sink helping my mother shell peas. It is one of my favorite memories. Fresh peas from the garden are nothing like the gross green things that come from a can. Still to this day, if I have a bunch of peas to shell I will sit upon the counter with my back against the cabinets and my feet in the sink shelling these little green globes of deliciousness. It is one of my happiest places.

I love garlic with a passion; vampires beware. While this pesto might be a little spicy just to simply eat out of the container, tossed on some roasted vegetables or some freshly cooked pasta, it is truly incredible. Try spreading some on a freshly baked slice of bread… that loaf will be gone in no time.

A few tips for this recipe: If you cannot find fresh nettles, you can substitute spinach, or your favorite dark greens. Also, make sure you wring out as much water as possible from the cooked nettles.

Not everyone enjoys a good raw radish pulled straight from the soil. However, I have not met anyone who hasn’t enjoyed the good ol’ cooked radish. These little bundles of joy can be roasted in the oven, grilled, or sautéd in a hot pan. Delicious. A game-changer, for sure.

You know, sometimes, I feel like I am going to get that reputation for being that crazy plant girl. People always stop and ask me what I am doing when they catch me with my black medical gloves, basket, fully clothed from head to toe heading into the forest. They usually interject, “Oh, are you heading to harvest mushrooms or berries?” It’s always fun to watch their face change when you tell them you are heading into the forest for stinging nettle. It is always an immediate reaction of a nose wrinkle and “Why?”