Spring Obsession Chive Pesto

Fresh chives are a spring obsession!

Spring is a time of wild obsessions. The sun starts to shine brighter and flowers pop up out of nothingness.  It's a delight to see life springing forward. 

I spent 13 years living and working on organic farms, surrounded by fresh air and good food. This is one of the recipes I developed for Round the Bend Farm, A Center For Restorative Community. It’s a personal and fan favorite.

The muse for this pesto is the chives themselves—full of sweet sunshine, and a fleeting, fragrant, sharpness. It makes a great incentive to grow more chives!

Spring Obsession Chive Pesto

Ingredients:

6-8 cups chives, rough chopped

½ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted

½ cup lemon juice

1 cup oil (safflower, sunflower, etc)

2 tbs honey

2 tsp sea salt

2 tbs powdered garlic

Instructions:

Put all the ingredients except the chives in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the the chives and continue to blend 1-2 minutes, or until full incorporated. Store in a glass jar and refrigerate. Keeps about one week.

I use this chive pesto on just about everything! It's great as a sandwich spread, mixed with pasta, as a veggie or chip dip, or added as a topping to egg dishes or casseroles. Some people say it's addictive! 

Variations:

Double the quantity of toasted pumpkin seeds to give this pesto a creamy, spreadable consistency and richer flavor.

Round the Bend Farm, A Center for Restorative Community in Dartmouth, MA.

I developed this recipe for Round the Bend Farm in 2021—it’s still one of my favorites!