Gardening and Pesto - Tuesday - May 10, 2011

Nancy here:

Today, Bill and I got up and went for a good 4 mile walk.  It has been a while since we have walked together due to my work schedule.  When we got back, I decided the gardens needed a little work.  We still have not sold the house, so we need to keep things all nice and pretty!!

I originally was not going to plant the vegetable garden this year since I thought we would be out of here. But when I realize we probably would be here awhile yet, I put in the Tomatoes, Peppers, Cucumbers and Herbs.  Well, it has been a great spring and the garden is going great!!

Blueberries will be ripening soon

Last year the Fig Tree had gotten so large,

I had to do some climbing to get the fruit.

So we really gave it a hair cut and now we have a Fig BUSH!! 

Cucumbers climbing up the netting

Tomatoes and Peppers

Actually have some tomatoes beginning to ripen!! 

Perhaps ripe tomatoes will inspire someone to buy this house!!

Herb Garden: Parsley, Rosemary, Basil, Pineapple Sage, Tarragon

I also have Chives, Thyme and Oregano in another part of the garden.

I plant a lot of Basil because I LOVE Pesto. 

After I finished weeding, I needed to trim the basil which was beginning to go to flower.  So with all the clippings, there was only one thing to do....MAKE PESTO!!

So here we go, this is how I do it.  The recipe I have come up with should be called, Low Calorie, not Low Fat.  There is no way to make Pesto low fat, but this recipe does cut the calories per serving in half from the original version by substituting stock for 2/3 of the olive oil and Veggie Cheese for full fat Parmesan.

(Click on Photos to enlarge)

Trim and Wash Basil

4 cups of Basil and 3 Tablespoons of Garlic into the Blender

1/2 cup of Almonds and 1/2 cup of Walnuts into the Blender

I use these nuts in place of Pine Nuts which are just too expensive.

1/4 cup of Olive Oil and 1/2 Cup of Stock into the Blender

1/2 cup of Grated Parmesan  or  Veggie Topping into the Blender

Everything is in the Blender

Everything is Blended !!

I freeze the Pesto in ice cube trays and store it in freezer bags.  That way I can just pull out what I need when I need it.  The container in the middle is set aside for tonights dinner :o)))

What you see above is (8 cups of Basil) or two batches.  Two ice cubes would equeal one serving.

You would think someone out there would love a home with a garden built in!! Some how we need to get buyers to realize how much money they can save on produce by buying this house!!  Will I miss the garden...just until we start on our first trip. Then I'll just buy what is in season wherever we happen to be. Oh, I may have to take a herb garden with me ;o))