More Pesto Here We Go!

So...I started 36 basil plants from seed this spring. I transplanted them to one of my raised beds in May. I was worried at the time that they'd make it because even though the weather was great when I put them in the ground, the temperatures dipped low a few times in the couple of weeks that followed. I also learned a lesson in applying fertilizers. I overdid it a bit, when I put the starts in the ground I added a side dressing of "Bio-Fish" fertilizer which is made by a company called Down to Earth. It's a great fertilizer, but in moderation. I burned the plants a bit by using too much.

The damage was obviously not lasting, these plants came back very strong.

I've already done a thorough picking of the plants twice and made batches of pesto with the harvest...but it's been almost two weeks since the the last picking and the plants have loved the watering and sunshine . As you can see from the picture above, some of the plants were going to start to flower and bolt if they didn't get some attention.

So I went out and spent about 45 minutes filling my basket up. It was the most I've picked at any time. I knew that I'd be doing this, so I'd made sure a couple of days ago that I still had everything needed in my kitchen to make pesto.

First I started with the fresh garlic, peeling isn't my most favorite chore, but I think it tastes better than the pre-peeled kind that you can buy in bulk or the chopped stuff that comes in a jar. Even though it's a bit of a task, it's worth it.

Hazelnuts - though I would probably prefer pinenuts, they are too expensive to buy for the mass amount of pesto I've been making, hazelnuts are a good and more affordable substitute. I've actually considered using walnuts as well.

For the first couple of batches I used shredded parmesan, but this time around, I had picked up a blend of shaved hard cheeses at Trader Joe's.

Then there was the olive oil. The thing about it is, I don't really measure any of this out, I like to make my pesto in a more casual way. If it looks like it is going to need more oil to get the texture I want, I add more, or if it doesn't taste "smooth" enough, I add more cheese or nuts. It may mean that one batch is slightly different than the next, but I like variety so that doesn't bother me.

With the first batch I froze the pesto in a muffin tin, though I liked the amount that each muffin cup held, it was pretty difficult to get the frozen pesto out. When loosening it up with a butterknife didn't work, I ended up turning the pan over and running warm water over the back to make the individual pesto portions come out. It was messy so I decided after that to use small party cups instead. I fill each cup about half way, covered them with wrap and into the freezer they go. Once they are frozen I'll pop them out of the cups and store the frozen pieces together in a freezer bag. I think I've got about 20 dinner-sized portions stored now. From the looks of it, there's going to be plenty more to come before the basil is done for the season. I'm excited that there will be lots of pesto flavored dinners to come this winter, it's one of my favorites! This is also a much more affordable way to get pesto, I wouldn't be willing to spend the money to buy this much pesto from a grocery market. I also love it that I know exactly what went into making it, there are no mystery ingredients. A taste of summer basil during our cold Pacific Northwest winters is going to be pretty great!