Gardening Together: It’s Pesto Time!

By: Karen Phillips | August 17 2010
Posted in Rogue Valley - Cook It - Rogue Valley

The hot, sunny days of mid-summer have brought on a bumper crop of basil in our neighborhood. And it’s hard to find anything more delicious to do with basil than blend up a huge, neighborhood-sized batch of pesto; for eating now and to freeze for later, when these long summer days are just a memory.

Photo: Karen Philips

Pesto making is a perfect activity to engage neighbors of all ages. Younger kids love helping to harvest the basil and being in charge of pushing the button on the food processor (with a bit of adult supervision). Older kids and adults can pitch in stripping leaves from basil plants, chopping garlic or grating cheese. And everyone gets to share in the important role of “quality-control consultant” – selflessly tasting the pesto to make sure everything is going according to plan.

Pesto is also a wonderfully flexible dish. Traditional recipes call for basil leaves, garlic, olive oil, parmesan cheese and pine nuts. But at $30/pound, pine nuts may be a bit rich for most budgets. Popular – and tasty - substitutes for pine nuts abound, including walnuts, cashews - and even hazelnuts.

There are some equally nutritious variations that substitute parsley, arugula or spinach for the usual basil. Best of all, pesto freezes beautifully. For larger batches, freeze your pesto in an airtight container. For smaller, individual-serving sized portions, freeze in ice cube trays and store frozen cubes in a zip-lock freezer bag.

We used the following rough proportions for our pesto-making party: for every tightly packed cup of basil leaves, add about ½ cup of olive oil, ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 3 cloves or so of garlic (depending on your preferences), a generous handful of nuts and a pinch of salt.

Once your pesto is finished, you can use it to top your fresh pasta, or get a bit more adventurous. Use pesto as a substitute for tomato sauce on pizza, add a bit to your mashed potatoes or mayonnaise, or add some to your baked chicken or fish dishes. Here’s a simple recipe using pesto that’s just right for a late summer barbecue using the last of your backyard basil harvest.

Check out the Pesto Stuffed Tomatoes Recipe (Adapted from Recipes from a Kitchen Garden)

{googleAds}<script type="text/javascript"><!--
google_ad_client = "pub-1020329498494277";
/* 468x60, Cook It */
google_ad_slot = "2640203467";
google_ad_width = 468;
google_ad_height = 60;
//-->
</script>
<script type="text/javascript"
src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js">
</script>{/googeAds}