Preserving Garden Goodness - Pesto

We had our first frost of the season a few days ago.  Some plants are more sensitive to cold and frost than others.  Basil, tomatoes and peppers fit in this category.  However, there are other plants that are unaffected by a light frost.  Notice the catnip plant below survived the frost just fine, whereas the basil beside it was killed.

Fortunately, we were alerted to the possibility of a frost several days in advance and we were able to harvest quite a bit of produce the day before.  This included a bunch of basil.

I made pesto with the basil and wanted to share how I did it with you.  It is very easy and you can freeze it for use later.  Here are the ingredients you need.  You can use walnuts instead of pine nuts.  I've used both and can't tell much difference.  

These are the quantities of each that you will need:

2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts

3 medium cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Salt & pepper to taste

First, place the pine nuts (or walnuts) in a food processor and whirl them around a bit.

Next, add the basil leaves.

Pulse a few times and add the chopped garlic.

Then, with the food processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil.

 Next, add the Parmesan cheese and pulse a few times until it is incorporated.  Taste the pesto and add salt and pepper to taste.  I found it did not need much salt.

You will end up with something that looks like this.

If you are not going to use it soon, you can freeze it.  I like to freeze it in tablespoonful portions by putting it on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet.

Put the cookie sheet in the freezer for a few hours and then peel off the pesto chunks and place in a freezer bag for long-term storage.

It will keep for months in the freezer.  It is great used in soups and pasta dishes.  Just take a portion (or two) out of the bag and throw in your recipe.  It will melt quickly in hot pasta or soup and you can enjoy fresh basil goodness all through the winter.