Fresh Basil Pesto Recipe

Nothing says summer like fresh basil.  I love this simple recipe that can be used immediately over pasta or frozen in muffin trays to bring back the feeling of summer in the dead of winter.

Method:-

Place the following ingredients into your blender and blend until smooth.  

1/2 to 1 cup olive oil 3-5 cloves garlic 1 teaspoon salt4 cups fresh basil leaves1/2 cup fresh parsley 1/4 - 1/2 cup pine nuts 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese

No basil?  You can also use a big bunch of parsley when basil is not in season.

When freezing your pesto, top your muffin tins with a wee bit more olive oil to keep your pesto nice and green.  Then tap out frozen pesto portions into a ziplock bag to store in your freezer.

 

 

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My Mom's Sweet Green Tomato Pickle

 

5 lbs (2 quarts) green tomatoes 2 ½ lbs onions ¼ cup salt  3 cups pickling vinegar ¼ cup pickling spice 3 cups sugar 1 tsp mustard ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Method

1.    Slice onions and tomatoes.2.    Layer the onions and tomatoes, alternating and sprinkling each layer with salt.3.    Let stand overnight.4.    Drain.5.    Bring the vinegar to a boil with the pickling spices (tied in a bag), and the sugar, but not the mustard or cayenne yet.6.    Add the onions and tomatoes.7.    Boil 1 hour & 15 mins or until the veggies are transparent.  (Don't boil so long the liquid all evaporates.)8.    Just before removing from heat add the mustard and cayenne pepper.9.    Seal in clean, hot jars immediately.Enjoy!

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For gardeners there is little that is more satisfying than looking at your dinner plate and thinking, we grew these spuds, tomatoes and/or salad greens.  We are literally eating the fruits of our labour and we are enjoying it so much we just don't want the fresh supply to come to an end.  Luckily as we harvest the last of the spinach or broccoli plants we create a spot for some new little transplants of lettuce, broccoli or swiss chard to grow.  The best veggies to re-plant now are kale, broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard and many types of lettuce.

This week I will harvest our garlic that we planted last fall.  Nigel pulled up a couple of our plants a week or so ago and they were wonderful.  Last fall we planted Russian Red, Elephant and white garlic as well as some new varieties.  If you haven't planted garlic before start eyeing up a sunny, well drained area for your fall planting, it really is so simple to grow.  Our garlic bulbs will be available in early September when the daffodils and tulips arrive.

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Simple Vinaigrette Dressing

I love this vinaigrette dressing over a salad made from fresh garden harvested veggies.  Some lettuce or kale, a cuke and some tomatoes and you have a great side dish to dinner.

 

1 clove garlic 1/2 cup olive oil ¼ to 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar teaspoon of unpasteurized honey sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste 

You can get fancier by adding some any of the following to the salad.

herbs sliced pear blueberries bluecheese dried cranberries  

 

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My co-worker, Janis, got me going on this oven roasted tomato recipe and I just love making this for dinner to serve over pasta or as a side dish. 

Note:- When I make it as a side dish, I like to use cherry or grape tomatoes and I leave them whole.

7-8 large tomatoes cut in half along the equator (lengthwise for roma types) or as many fit in your pan. Green belly-buttons removed. ¼ cup olive oil 3-4 cloves garlic Salt and pepper Optional:- add cut up onions and peppers, sweet or spicy, for a twist.

 

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