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<\/p>\nThis garlic scape lemon balm pesto is a slight twist from your regular pesto. This recipe combines garlic scapes with lemon balm for an early garden fresh variation. Spoon this pesto on pasta, seafood, and even sandwiches.<\/p>\n
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Pesto is extremely versatile. In fact, I rarely stick exactly to a recipe. Instead, I tend to wing it adding a handful of this and that, and process, taste, and adjust to my liking.<\/p>\n
The basic foundations of pesto are edible foliage, oily nuts, firm cheese, olive oil, garlic, plus a bit of flavoring from lemon, salt, and pepper. Any combination of these ingredients can be processed into a flavorful pesto.<\/p>\n
My garden basil is late this year, but the lemon balm is prolific. So when the garlic scapes emerged and began twisting into loops, I snapped them off and satisfied my pesto craze using lemon balm in place of the traditional basil. It was delicious.<\/p>\n
![\"Garlic](\"https:\/\/growagoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/garlic-scapes-lemon-balm.jpg\")
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Hardneck garlic sends up a flower stalk about three weeks before the garlic bulb is ready for harvesting. This stalk is called a garlic scape. The garlic scape is edible and has a lovely, mild garlic flavor with a hint of sweetness.<\/p>\n
If you don’t grow your own garlic, you can find garlic scapes at local farmer’s markets when they are in season.<\/p>\n
If you don’t have garlic scapes but want to try this recipe, consider substituting green garlic or even garlic chives. Both provide the mild garlic flavor that combines well with the herby lemon balm.<\/p>\n
Of course, even traditional garlic cloves will work. Simply increase the amount of lemon balm to 1 1\/2 cups and substitute 3-4 cloves of garlic.<\/p>\n
The lemon flavor from the lemon balm adds a nice mild flavor to the pesto.\u00a0Lemon balances and brightens the taste of pesto. If you are topping fish or seafood with pesto, you may want extra lemony flavor, consider adding lemon juice or lemon zest to taste.<\/p>\n
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a perennial herb with lemon-flavored foliage. It is in the mint family, so tends to grow abundantly in the garden. It also tolerates partly shady areas.<\/p>\n
Nuts and seeds add a rich earthy flavor and creaminess to the pesto. Nuts are the reason the pesto clings to pasta instead of slipping off. While pine nuts are traditional for Italian pesto, other nuts and seeds work as well and add lots of flavor.<\/p>\n
This recipe uses sunflower seeds because they are easy to find and inexpensive. Also consider trying almonds, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, or walnuts.<\/p>\n
Taste the pesto before adding salt if you are using salted nuts. Between the saltiness of the cheese and salty nuts, you may not need to add additional salt.<\/p>\n
Freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano adds a distinctive flavor and saltiness to pesto. Also consider other types of hard aged cheeses such as Asiago or Pecorino Romano.<\/p>\n
The classic oil for making pesto is extra-virgin olive oil. The fruity and herby flavor pairs well with the other pesto ingredients. Avocado oil<\/a> has a milder flavor and would also be a good option if you don’t like the strong flavor or olive oil.<\/p>\nHow to Make Garlic Scape Lemon Balm Pesto<\/h2>\n
![\"Ingredients](\"https:\/\/growagoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/garlic-scape-lemon-balm-pesto-ingredients.jpg\")
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