Bunches of Basil

What should you do with all that basil in the garden? Make basil pesto, of course - it's easy and well worth it! The scent given off by the basil as you prepare this dish will fill the whole kitchen with an intoxicating aroma. And enjoying fresh pesto is absolutely a treat to savor. I could eat it plain, by the spoonful, because it's so delicious.

The ingredients are:

2 cups packed basil

1/3 cup pine nuts

3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan (or similar) cheese

salt and pepper

Blend 2 cups (packed very tightly) of basil and 1/3 cup pine nuts.

Add 3 cloves of garlic. Blend.

Add 1/2 cup olive oil a little at a time. Blend.

Now add 1/2 cup freshly grated cheese - parmigiano-reggiano, parmesan, romano, etc. (If you plan to freeze your pesto, then don't add the cheese - you can add it directly to your dish later, or combine it in the blender with your pesto once defrosted.) Blend.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Blend.

Basil Pesto!

Now have a snack before dinner...

Are you still hungry for dinner?

For a variation on this pesto, substitute 3/4 cup sundried tomatoes for 1 cup of the basil and you will have a delicious sundried tomato basil pesto recipe. It is also delicious mixed with pasta, or spread it on sliced bread for a mouthwatering treat.

Favorite Summer Harvest Lunch

If you need  something delicious to make for an easy lunch during your gardening break, then you might try this combination.  Bagels, hummus, fresh basil leaves, tomato, and aged provolone cheese.  I toast the bagel, put it all together, and then melt the cheese a little.  Delicious with a glass of iced tea out on the deck.  This will also be a nice way to enjoy your summer harvest of homegrown tomatoes and sweet basil.

Basil Harvest for Dinner

I think that we will be eating a lot of basil this summer.  This pasta dish uses a fair amount of it and is easy to make.  The ingredients are:  pasta, sun dried tomato, garlic, onion, jalapeno, crushed red pepper, olive oil, salt, black pepper, pine nuts.  Simple and delicious!

Clipping Basil and a Country Greenhouse

Today it was already time to clip the tops off the basil and oregano so they don't go to seed.  The taste of the basil leaves will be compromised once the flowers emerge, so I need to stay on top of this.
Then I needed a couple more things and I ended up here - quite by surprise.  I was also driving on a lot of gravel roads.  I'm getting in touch with my inner farmer, I think.  I even listened to one country song on the radio.

Well, Gramma didn't have what I was looking for in her greenhouse so I moved on.  I eventually found it - more sweet basil and a sungold cherry tomato.  Not to mention the Japanese eggplant.  It was a good day.