September 18 -- pesto

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On the 18th, the predicted low temp was 34 (F).  It rained that day.  I spent a good long time outside, giving the basil farm a thorough barbering.

I harvested enough small leaves to comfortably fill our largest white plastic bowl.  That was about four cups of packed leaves (with as little stem as I could manage). 

Following the directions in The New Best Recipe, I toasted half a cup of pine nuts in a heavy skillet, and then toasted a couple of large garlic cloves.  Those went into the food processor with a scant teaspoon of salt and half a cup of extra-virgin olive oil, and were pulsed a few times. 

The basil leaves went into a zip-lock bag, and were "bruised" by bashing them with the side of a meat tenderizer.  Then they, too, went into the food processor, with a quarter cup more olive oil.  Grind until done.

This made a disappointingly small amount.  Enough for several dinners, but I'd hoped for more.

Of course we had some on the 18th.  It was pretty good.

Pesto is one of my favorite things to have in the freezer.  It doesn't take much space in the freezer, and the intense basil flavor takes me straight to summer for the length of time it takes to enjoy each bite........

Perhaps next year's basil crop will be better.  If I'd put all six of the little plants I bought, last spring, in the farm, rather than some here, some there, the farm would have been much more productive.............

It really doesn't take long to make pesto, and it doesn't take much energy (unlike canning, which is a huge energy hog AND totally heats up the kitchen). 

Lots of reward for not that much effort.  My favorite kind of "cooking"!

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