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When life gives you lemons, make lemonade...or pesto.

Today I was scheduled to volunteer at the University's greenhouse, my shift was to run from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. However, early this morning the University sent out a general notice to students and staff that there was a credible threat of gun violence made by a 42 year-old man, specifically targeting the University campuses. The suspect's name was known to them but was being withheld pending apprehension. In response, the University was closed, except for certain personnel, to be behind secure doors. Rats!

Rather than lose a day of garden work, I took the opportunity to make pesto using the microgreens I've been sprouting in my apartment.

Pea shoot microgreens

I've been growing - well, really it is sprouting - microgreens for about a decade now. I'm not a huge fan, but I do produce a tray or two every couple of months. Each harvest is more than I can use so I’ve been converting most of the it into pesto. I particularly like fresh pesto for all sorts of dishes from soups, to salads, to pizza, and of course for pasta.

I use off-the-shelf LED grow-lights with a wide spectrum. The intensity of the light is not particularly high but it is enough to sprout seedlings to the point they have developed useful and tasty immature leaflets. To grow a mature plant the intensity of light would need to be five to ten times more than I have available. The cost of energy would be significant, many dollars per week. At that price, it is much cheaper to buy (and possibly waste) the herbs I choose to use. Of course, in the summertime the trays can be left outside to grow in natural sunlight.

Microgreens don't need much light to sprout because all of their carbon energy is already packaged in the seed. They have everything they need except a little water and a bit of light to start things growing. To go from sprouts to mature plants, they need a lot more light energy for the enzymes to capture carbon out of the air and produce the carbohydrates and all the other plant chemicals needed in a mature plant.

I've grown a variety of microgreens, but my favorite is peas. They are quick to sprout, and can be enjoyed in a variety of ways. Making pea shoot pesto is quick and efficient with a food processor. 

  • 2 cups of pea shoots.
  • 1/4 olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of nuts (pine nuts or walnuts)
  • 2 tbsp black olives
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 tbsp butter (I like the flavor)
  • 2 tbsp parmesan cheese
  • lemon zest is optional

Process everything except the oil and pea shoots together into a coarse paste. Then to the paste add all the pea shoots and drizzle the oil over the pea shoots. Process everything together to the consistency of wet coffee grounds. Freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray for easy storage in a ziplock baggie.


 

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