We were inspired by Emma Gunn (Never mind the burdocks ), who led another brilliant foraging walk and tasting session yesterday (she's back at Treworgey on the 19th March and 2nd April!). Later in the day, we went on our own expedition to collect wild garlic and made a peppery wild garlic pesto. The kids loved every step of the process (except, I'm afraid, eating it - a bit punchy for them, but loved by the grown-ups in our house!). We highly recommend this as a family activity if you're staying this spring.
Wild garlic grows in huge abundance at Treworgey. It has long, soft pointy leaves and delicate white flowers. And it smells like garlic! You'll see it in absolute abundance along the banks as you drive up the lanes, from either direction, towards Treworgey from now until May.
The resulting pesto is a fantastic colour and is peppery and fragrant. Delicous stirred through pasta.
The recipe we used was as follows:
Ingredients:
- 100g/3½oz wild garlic
- 40g/1½oz pine nuts
- 6 tbsp rapeseed oil (or olive oil) plus extra for storing
- 3 tbsp lemon juice (approx. 1½ small lemons)
- 2 tbsp freshly grated Grand Padano
- salt and pepper to taste
Method:
Blitz everything up in a food processor or with a stick blender. Decant into sterilised jars (we boiled the jars for a while with the lids off) and cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of oil to help keep it fresh. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Blitz everything up in a food processor or with a stick blender. Decant into sterilised jars (we boiled the jars for a while with the lids off) and cover the top of the pesto with a thin layer of oil to help keep it fresh. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
