i have made it my business to go gather up a goodly amount of this green gift from nature at least once a year. i always feel like a bit of a thief walking up the river with my carrier bags (collected for others too). it’s such a pretty walk.

this year i took my small garden fork with me and uprooted a couple of clumps – i have put them in a raised bed at the bottom of the garden. i think it will grow there – cold and dark.

first meal with my pickings was garlic mushrooms in a piadana with some chimichurri – delicious.

also made a few pots of walnut pesto (pine nuts are too bloody expensive now!)

it’s easy enough

• wash the leaves and take out any flowers/debris
• put into a food processor
• pulse and add copious amounts of good olive oil
• salt
• pepper
• splash of balsamic
• walnuts
• pulse again – be careful not to turn the nuts to paste
• freeze – loosen up with more oil once defrosted