It's one of the most ubiquitous and easily grown plants in Bay Area gardens. I often use their orange flowers as zesty and beautiful garnishes in salads and last year, I made a great batch of nasturtium capers from their seed pods.

I didn't think the Nasturtium (genus Tropaeolum) had any more tricks up its sleeve. 

But I was overlooking another key feature: their leaves. With their slightly peppery taste, it turns out they make a great pesto! 

I was so excited to run across this recipe because my basil plants are tiny, so I wasn't anticipating any pesto in my immediate future. This is a great way to kick start (and extend) the pesto season. I added some fried tofu and parmesan, tossed it all with whole wheat pasta and it was delicious.

Nasturtium Leaf Pesto
Adapted from "Hitchhiking to Heaven"

4 cups Nasturtium leaves, plus flowers if you've got them

1 cup cashews (you can use walnuts or pine nuts - I happened to have cashews in the pantry)

4 large cloves garlic

1 cup olive oil

Juice of 1 large lemon

1/4 to 1/2 tsp salt, to taste

Black pepper

Dashes of hot sauce

Combine everything but the salt, pepper and hot sauce in a Cuisinart. Season to taste. Super easy, 20 minutes tops. I added the hot sauce because my leaves weren't quite peppery enough for me, and I think the vinegar in it was a nice addition. You can freeze the extras in ice cube trays, and the pesto will last forever, already divided into manageable chunks.