I abhor food waste. Although I am a huge proponent of composting (using my kitchen scraps to break down into nutritious soil for my garden), not everyone has the space or the land to compost all their vegetables, fruit skins, and egg shells. As a result, a lot of food goes right into the garbage. When I have way too many greens and herbs lying about, I have been known to throw them all into a blender, add a few nuts or seeds, some olive oil, salt, and pepper and call it a green sauce, or pesto. 

When I discovered the use of radish leaves to make pesto, I was totally intrigued. On their own, the leaves are not particularly edible, as they also have thousands of minuscule little prickers. It even hurts pulling the radishes out of the garden. They wouldn’t be particularly good raw in a salad. But blended into a pesto? Well, that’s another story.

Using Plants From Root to Stem

If you are concerned at all about environmental issues then you might have heard of upcycling. For those new to the world of using “whole foods” (not the grocery store, I’m talking about using food with all its pieces intact), upcycling foods is a way to prevent food waste and prevent food from ending up in a landfill. If we can eat it, use it.

Radish greens fit the bill because not only do they help prevent food waste but they happen to make a delicious, peppery pesto and are full of beneficial nutrients. The greens are full of immune-boosting vitamin C, calcium, and vitamin A.

Now, slice up the radishes and toss those into a salad while you make your pesto and enjoy spring! Print