Basil Pesto

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It’s always a good time to make pesto, but this is my favorite time of year to make it because I harvest the basil from my garden all summer and early fall. My son and I love pesto, so at the end of August or early September I harvest my basil and make batches of pesto, freeze them, and then use them to cook with throughout the winter. It’s so easy to make, and I use it on pasta, chicken, fish, and vegetables. I make pesto outside of the summer with store-bought basil, but I think the basil from my garden tastes so much better!

This is the basil I’ve been growing this summer in a whiskey barrel on my deck.

You can see the flowers growing at the top, which is a sign to prune. Once they flower, the plants bolt, or go to seed, which means their energy shifts away from leaf production and towards reproduction. Basil also has a tendency to become bitter in taste when you let it flower. I prune my basil all summer, but I take more at the end of summer. To prune my basil and get leaves for pesto, I snip the central stems back to a lower set of leaves where two tiny leaf buds emerge from the leaf axil. I’m always a little sad that the grow season is almost over but excited about everything that I can do with all of this basil!

Once I prune my basil, I cut the leaves off of the stems and wash them well with water in a strainer and allow the leaves to dry as much as possible.

For each batch of pesto, I try to have about 2 cups of basil leaves. Then, I gather the other ingredients for the pesto: garlic, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, salt and pepper. I prefer fresh Parmesan and grate it myself, but bagged grated Parmesan with works if that’s all you have.

First, pulse the basil and pine nuts in a food processor. Then, add garlic and cheese and turn the food processor on low. Slowly add olive oil. Then add salt and pepper to taste.

That’s it! It’s ready to use immediately, or save for later. I freeze mine so I can cook with it through the year. There are a few ways you can freeze your pesto. Some put small batches in an ice cube tray. Or you can put them in a freeze prove plastic bag or plastic container. It’s often recommended that if you’re freezing it this way that you leave out the Parmesan cheese and add it later when you thought out. However I add the cheese in and vacuum sealed my pesto to keep it fresh, and then I can just thought out and use it immediately when ready.

I just started using my vacuum sealer, which I inherited from my dad, and I’m obsessed with it! It keeps food fresh for so much longer.