Baboon Achievers, Family, Food, gardening, Stories

Pesto Party!

26 Comments

Our two basil plants have been constantly picked over this summer (YA and I can find a use for basil in almost everything) and I was thinking that maybe next year we should plant more so we would have enough for putting up some pesto. In swept a hero friends, bringing us excess bounty from their garden and with it a renewed dream of pesto through the winter!

YA wanted to help so we set up production. I stripped the leaves and minced the garlic; she did everything else, from washing the basil leaves to measuring, then running the food processor and getting the finished pesto into the jars.  She even stayed at it when I had to run up to Kowalski’s for more garlic, although she did leave me with all the clean up.

Pesto Production

So now we have pesto to last us for a while, although I doubt it will get us through the entire winter – we’ve already both had pesto on naan today!

What do you need enough of to get through the winter?

 

26 thoughts on “Pesto Party!”

  2. Rise and Shine Baboons,

    Well. I suppose heat is the obvious smarty pants answer.

    Regarding food, my answer is tomato soup which I can in glass jars. It is summer in a jar, really. I bought a giant pot that is large enough to hold several gallon at once. Really abundant tomato years like this year allow me to make a lot at once. In the past I made a lot more, because I gave it to Lou’s dad for Christmas (4 quarts) in combination with other food such as nuts, cheese, and crackers. In his 90s, there was little else he wanted as a gift.
    The recipe is my improvisation.

    Jacque’s Tomato Soup

    1/4 c olive oil
    3 onions chopped
    6 garlic cloves minced
    1 tsp sugar sprinkled in oil on the bottom to carmelize onions

    Brown those together

    Add 1 1/2 to 2 gallons of tomatoes which have been scalded, peeled and chopped
    Add salt and pepper to taste (1-2 Tablespoons of salt)

    Boil for 45 minutes.

    Add chopped peppers and zucchini depending on what your garden ins producing.

    Thicken with flour and cold water (usually 1/2 c flour and 2 c water)
    Added quickly and thoroughly mixed. Don’t let it lump.

    Boil until smooth. Add garden basil to taste.

    Pack in pint or quart jars. When you open in winter you can add cream or feta cheese.

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  3. Warm socks and a steady supply of eggs, flour, and sugar for baking projects. I am not one to can or freeze things for winter – though if friends have excess zucchini I shred that up and freeze it for winter baking.

    Backyard pool came down (at last) yesterday. Area has been cordoned off from the dog so it stays nice and smooth for a future ice rink. That has become another thing that gets me through winter: being able to get a bit of ice time – the convenience of having it just out my back door is fabulous. (If I want to tie this all together, yes there are days I don my warm socks, get something in the oven, and go out on the ice for a bit while it bakes…)

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  5. I see tomatoes and pesto are already covered, do I’ll go with an obvious one for me: yarn.

    I simply like wool too much to ever consider being a snowbird.

    Living the bit of chill today, although they tell me we will be right back in the hot box by the end of the week.

    The only bit if joy in that is knowing more tomatoes will ripen😊.

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  6. Candles, lots of them, and good reads. Not that I read by candlelight, but a couple of lit candles will make any room seem warmer and cozier. Lit candles on the dinner table contribute greatly to the enjoyment of even the humblest meal. I agree with BiR, with colder weather comes a yen for heartier fare; bring on the long simmered soups and stews.

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  10. I’m not sure what the problem is. I’m looking at the screen and at the very bottom it says Leave a reply and then there’s a box that says Enter your comment here

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  11. We need brodo (Italian turkey wing/oxtail broth we make and freeze), good nuts like pecans and cashews, all our garden greens and shellout beans, flours for bread baking, home rendered lard for pie crusts, and all the ingredients for our Christmas baking.

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  12. OT – Today was a sad day for Cynthia, she lost her Icelandic horse named Ising. She succumbed to colic at the age of 23 or 24. Big loss for Cynthia, I’m sure.

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