I started some herbs from seeds last Spring and have had mixed results. I planted Basil, Cilantro, Rosemary, Thyme, and Oregano.
I babied those seeds in the house until I got what I thought would be hearty shoots to plant outside. Sadly, It was a somewhat chilly Spring here and it rained non stop through most of April and May. So the Cilantro, Dill and Thyme did not make it. (I was REALLY bummed about the Cilantro). But I did have some success. My Basil:
My Oregano:
I even have a little rosemary peeking through the basil:
As you can see I have a TON of basil and I've been itching to make some fresh pesto sauce with it. I have a recipe from the cooking class I took in Tuscany and I didn't want to try it without really yummy, fresh basil. I now I have it! The recipe is pretty basic: 4 bunches of basil, 2 T pine nuts, 1 clove garlic, 4 T parmesan, 2 T pecorino and 1 cup olive oil.
Despite the recipe, I seem to recall our teacher just throwing everything into the blender without a lot of measuring. And I fooled with the recipe a bit to get it just the way I like. But man, this was good. So yummy and fresh and flavorful! I had more than enough for dinner, lunch for tomorrow and some sauce left over that I froze for another day.
You may be thinking that this is a pretty big serving of pasta. You might be right, but keep in mind that I did have to harvest all that basil and slave over a blender to make the pesto. Fine - I really didn't do much to work up my appetite, but it's so good!
I am loving the fresh herbs - to cook with, but also to use instead of flowers while I'm getting ready to use them. The oregano didn't make an appearance in dinner tonight, but it's pretty by the sink and makes the kitchen smell so nice!
Well, that just about made for a perfect Sunday. Next stop - my finished pot holder. Try to control yourselves. I'll post a photo soon!
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