Pesto with what you've got!

Basil is a delicious, summer-loving plant that is a great addition to the garden and the table. We have a lot of it growing at the farm. May we humbly suggest you take some home from the Curb Market Saturday and make some pesto.

Pesto is our focus here, but you can also add basil leaves to salad dressing, marinades, and pizza sauce. Eat pesto on pasta, crackers, sandwiches and wraps. It also goes nicely with chicken, fish and shrimp.

I make my pesto with whatever I have on hand. Being a farmer without deep pockets, I skip the pine nuts (feel free to give them try, though, they’re delicious!) in favor of walnuts or our own local pecans. My recipe follows. I’ll try to give you amounts to get you started, but really, I just put things into the food processor until it tastes good. Go forth and have fun in the kitchen!

Basil (1 - 2 cups of leaves)

Pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans (½ cup or to taste)

Olive oil (start with ¼ cup but add more if it’s not pastey enough)

Salt to taste

That’s it. Blend in a food processor or blender. You can also add parmesan cheese or try a squeeze of lemon juice. Try the pecans or walnuts toasted, too. Yum!