{"id":1167,"date":"2021-08-19T10:25:00","date_gmt":"2021-08-19T10:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suburbanfarmhouse.co\/?p=1167"},"modified":"2021-08-19T15:26:18","modified_gmt":"2021-08-19T15:26:18","slug":"pesto-how-to-make-store-and-eat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suburbanfarmhouse.co\/?p=1167","title":{"rendered":"Pesto: How to Make, Store, and Eat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

**Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate links, which means we receive a small commission if you buy through the link on our website (at no additional cost to you). Using our affiliate links helps support our blog, which means we can provide you more content that you love.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last week we posted about various ways to use up all of the herbs<\/a> that you’ve grown in your garden throughout the season, whether that be eating them fresh, or storing them by drying or freezing. One of our family’s favorite herbs to grow is basil, and one of our favorite ways to use basil is by making pesto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Every year I somehow manage to grow enough basil to feed a small army. I don\u2019t start off intending to grow that much…I just have a hard time not planting all my seedlings. Of course this means that I need to find ways to use all of the bounty each year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We harvest and eat the basil fresh in our homemade pizza sauce every Friday, as well as layered between slices of fresh mozzarella and tomatoes when we make a caprese salad. Even with all that, I find myself faced with a significant amount of basil at the end of the growing season. Come the end of September I\u2019m usually harvesting close to two five-gallon buckets full of basil. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I say usually, because for some reason this year is different. This year, the basil was growing like crazy, then suddenly, all the plants started to drop their leaves. I have no idea why, but you can rest assured that I am researching it. The most likely culprit is soggy feet from all the rain this year. Next year I will definitely be relocating them to higher ground to ensure better drainage in case we get another summer of monsoons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I’m done harvesting my (literally) bucket loads of basil in a typical year, I sit down to an evening of pesto making. Simply because of the quantity of basil I need to clean, it frequently takes a couple of hours to get through it all, with cleaning and stripping the leaves from the stems being the step that takes the longest. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Once all of the leaves are cleaned and stripped, I prep the other ingredients…toasting the nuts that I\u2019m using, shredding the parmesan cheese, and peeling the garlic. Each ingredient is placed in a bowl ready to measure out as I need it, following the mise en place<\/em> (or everything in its place) principle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Occasionally I cheat and buy the pre-grated parmesan. This saves me a bit of time, and when I can get it on sale, also money. One thing I DON\u2019T buy is the Kraft parmesan cheese in a can. First, my family doesn\u2019t like it. Second, it\u2019s full of fillers and has an off taste that we don\u2019t enjoy. If you and your family prefer, go ahead and try using in your pesto making, but you\u2019ll get a much more flavorful and enjoyable product using freshly grated parmesan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another thing I get ready is the small half-cup containers that I freeze the pesto in. As soon as I blend up a batch it goes straight into the containers and into the freezer. Then blend the next batch, rinse and repeat until all the basil has been transformed into pesto and frozen. By the time I\u2019m done the kitchen smells amazing and I have about 8 cups of basil pesto in the freezer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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And then there is this year…As you can tell from the photos, the likelihood of getting 8 cups of pesto is not great this year. Because of this, and because it\u2019s mainly just my husband and myself at home anymore, I decided to try freezing the pesto in an ice cube tray. Without the girls living at home and helping us consume it, we end up finding half used containers of pesto in the back of the fridge. Hopefully by freezing the pesto in smaller quantities we can reduce the amount of pesto we waste. That said, I do think the ice cube trays<\/a> that I have are a bit on the small side. Each well can only contain 1 tablespoon of whatever. I\u2019ve been eyeballing the Souper Cubes gift set<\/a> which has a 2 tablespoon tray, as well as a 1 cup, 2 cup, and half cup tray. All with lids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Traditional pesto recipe<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the recipe most people think of when they hear the word \u201cpesto\u201d. Keep reading to learn about other variations that can excite your taste buds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Note: All pesto recipes shared are from Eating Well, which is linked in the resources at the bottom of this post.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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2 cups packed fresh basil leaves (2-3 bundles)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bc c pine nuts, toasted<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bc c grated parmesan cheese<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Tbs water<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1 large clove garlic, quartered<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bd tsp salt<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00bd tsp fresh ground pepper<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Place all ingredients in a food processor; pulse a few times, then process until smooth, or to the desired consistency, scraping down the sides occasionally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Makes about 1 cup<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serving size: 2 Tbs<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Nut alternatives<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Most pesto recipes call for pine nuts. And this is likely the nut used in the jar of pesto you buy at the grocery store. When I first started making pesto I used pine nuts exclusively. Then one year I learned that I am allergic to pine. I know that the allergy is truly only to the pine pollen, but that same year the price of pine nuts jumped considerably. I also came across a pesto recipe article in Eating Well magazine that used other nuts in place of the pine nuts. I figured the universe was trying to tell me something so I started exploring alternative nut varieties in my pesto, and have never looked back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today I pretty well use anything I have in the pantry, except peanuts. I\u2019ve even mixed different types of nuts just to use up odds and ends that would otherwise go to waste. No matter what nuts I\u2019m using, I always toast them in the oven first. This adds an extra hint of yumminess to the pesto.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nuts to Try (preferably unsalted)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n