We have just received some exciting news for the Saint John, NB area. There will be a Farmers Market on Sunday, August 28th, 2011 in Queen's Square. If you would like to participate as a vendor, please email me and I will give you the particulars. Please support our local growers!
On to pesto . . . There is nothing like adding fresh herbs to a dish to give it a burst of delicious flavour. My two favourite herbs are basil and dill. Luckily these two basic herbs are easy to grow. Basil is a companion plant to tomatoes. It repels mosquitoes and flies and is said to make tomatoes taste better, although fresh tomatoes always taste great! Dill can be grown with lettuce, onions and cucumbers. It repels some mites and bugs. I would suggest starting the herbs in the house and transplanting them after June 5. Cut whatever you need from the basil and dill and it will continue to grow.
On to pesto . . . There is nothing like adding fresh herbs to a dish to give it a burst of delicious flavour. My two favourite herbs are basil and dill. Luckily these two basic herbs are easy to grow. Basil is a companion plant to tomatoes. It repels mosquitoes and flies and is said to make tomatoes taste better, although fresh tomatoes always taste great! Dill can be grown with lettuce, onions and cucumbers. It repels some mites and bugs. I would suggest starting the herbs in the house and transplanting them after June 5. Cut whatever you need from the basil and dill and it will continue to grow.
I make Basil pesto and freeze it (I also use this recipe for scape, oregano, arugula and mixed herb pesto). It is easy and you will be thankful during the winter when you can add the pesto to soups, pasta and sauces. Here's how I make it:
You will need: basil, garlic, olive oil, ice cube trays, freezer bags or boxes.
- Pick a whole whack of basil leaves from your plants.
- Wash, dry and put in blender or food processor.
- Add garlic cloves
- Add olive oil
- Taste to make sure it has a basil taste with a hint of garlic.
- Pour (it's consistency should allow you to pour) the pesto into ice cube trays. Freeze them. When frozen, pop each pesto cube into a freezer bag.
- When ready to use, thaw or add frozen to sauces and soups.
- You can add pine nuts if you wish after you thaw the pesto, however I find the pesto tastes great just as it is!
I am going to make scape pesto today as we picked our scapes over the weekend. Yum! Yum!
