Making Basil Pesto

The basil we have in the garden is really healthy and putting on lots of new growth and that means it is time to make a batch of fresh basil pesto to put up in the freezer. Each year we make pounds of the stuff in the freezer.  We have found that freezing it in pound sized containers is perfect for quick meals and everyone in our family loves it.  We simply thaw it out, put some angel hair pasta on the stove and in just a few minutes we have a quick, delicious, healthy meal.

Our five basil plants all in a row

As I walked up to the row with my clippers in hand, the bees were out in full force, moving from flower to flower pollinating.  You can spot the big old bumble bee if you look directly in the center of the picture and look a little upward.  To the dismay of the bees, I'm sure, I first clipped all the flowers off of the plant as I want the plant's energy to go to growing leaves and not flowers.

Bumble bee on basil flowers

So here's what we're looking for, healthy, new leaf growth.  The leaves on the bottom of the plant tend to be yellow and I pull those off and throw them to the chickens. The variety of basil I planted this year was Genovese.  For making a double batch of pesto that will yield 3 pounds, it requires 8 cups of basil, so I selectively pick off leaves until I've filled an 8 cup container.  I mash them down because it should be 8 cups, packed.

Healthy basil leaves

I bring them inside and put them in the sink, washing them really good and letting them soak.  It is not uncommon to see bugs and worms floating in the water that I didn't see outside.  Although these would add some extra protein to our pesto, I remove them as I don't want to eat bugs or worms unless I have to.  I'll remove the pesto and put them into a salad spinner in small batches and spin to dry the leaves.

Washing basil leaves

We make basil pesto every year and I've posted on this before, but perhaps some of you weren't following us back then, so I'm going to show our process in how we make it.  Here's what you need:

• 8 cups washed basil leaves
• 2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups extra virgin olive oil
• 1 1/3 cups pine nuts, walnuts, or pecans (we always use pecans)
• 12 medium garlic cloves
• Salt and pepper to taste

Basil pesto is so easy to make and only requires a food processor.  All the ingredients get chopped or mixed up in there so there's only one thing to clean.  I've laid out all the ingredients below:

Items you'll need to make basil pesto

Put your garlic and pecans in the food processor and chop them up, using your chopping blade.

Chopping pecans and garlic

Slowly add all of your basil leaves to the processor and then slowly add the olive oil while the processor is running.  It will transform from chunky to real nice and creamy.

Adding oil to the basil/pecan/garlic mixture

Then remove the top and add your grated Parmesan cheese into the mix.  Put the top back on and incorporate the cheese.

Adding grated Parmesan

Now we'll add some kosher salt and some of our homemade criolla sella pepper.  This adds a touch of extra flavor to an already flavorful dish.

Salt & Pepper

We generally put the basil pesto into 16 oz sized containers and then we put the lids on, label them, and will put them in the freezer.

Packing it up to freeze

This might not look very appetizing to you, but it is absolutely delicious.  We love it.

Our Maker's Acres Basil Pesto

While we'll eat it on pasta, I also learned of a new way to eat it that I can't wait to try: Basil Grill Cheese Sandwiches.  Doesn't that sound great?  All you do is make a grilled cheese sandwich like you would normally do, with bread, butter, and cheese, but before you put the top slice of bread on and put it in the skillet for grilling, spread a nice, thick layer of pesto in there.  I'll let you know how this turns out.