This is an update of a previous article and now includes editorial comments and links to related articles.

I just harvested some carrots and wondered about uses for the tops. It involves a new way of eating, known as Root-to-stem eating. It is the logical extension of the nose-to-tail movement, where vegetable trimmings that would normally end up as garbage or compost, end up on your dinner plate. The movement rethinks how we cook and prepare vegetables.  I looked for a use for carrot tops other than the logical soup pot and came up with Chimichurri Sauce.  Chimichurri is an uncooked sauce used both as an ingredient in cooking and as a table condiment for grilled meat. It is found in Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisines.  I had never tried it before but found a recipe that substituted carrot fronds for the usual cilantro and parsley ingredients in the original sauce.  I found it to be delicious on BBQ steak. 

Chimichurri Sauce Recipe:

Ingredients
• 1 cup carrot top leaves
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Directions
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Although not called for, I added cumin to taste. Can be refrigerated or used directly after making it.

Editor’s note: For those of you who have not heard of the Nose to Tail movement, it is a trend in restaurants to use all parts of the animal in their menu. The idea was to be more mindful of what we consume to embrace a more sustainable way of living.  This is how our granparents and others before them ae.  As food wastage wasn't allowed; indeed that may become the food for pets and farm animals.  It reminds me of my grandparents’ way of cooking. For example, they used every part of the pig including the snout, ears, brain, tongue, organs, blood pudding (a sausage), and even the tail. Of course, they also cooked the more traditional parts of the pig such as pork chops, ground meat, roasts, and sausages.  This total usage was for their personal sustainability due to the depression and lack of jobs and thus funds and thus limited food to provide for their family. My mom cooked this way although and I adhered to the policy but with store bought food. But Sunday was my day for cooking and I'd make enough so that we'd have 4 or 5 dinners in casserole dishes in the fridge for the week.  It worked well and lessened my stress. But as time went on and the kids had tons of activities in the evening and both my husband and I had full-time job, I eventually slacked off and did takeout more often.  It seems to me that over time we always end up going back to the ways our grand parents and great grandparents had been doing things whether is was ways of eating or styles or (hopefully) good manners. (But yes, in case your are wondering, I do love and appreciate technology.)

Related articles you may enjoy:

1. Eating Well. Vegetables You Can Eat from Root to Stem by Breana Lai Killeen, M.P.H., RD
2. Food in Canada. Going whole hog by Carol Neshevich