Garden Basil Pesto

What’s better than fresh basil in the summer? Fresh basil in the winter! When you’re stuck inside and dreaming of your beautiful summer herb garden. This fresh, garden basil pesto recipe is a perfect way to preserve and enjoy this delicious herb all year around!

We intentionally grow an abundance of basil each year to preserve for this very reason. We use this up in fresh sourdough pastas, spread ontop of baked chicken, or spread on a sourdough toast grilled cheese sandwich. I have such sweet memories of picking basil with my mom in her garden and making this very recipe for fresh pesto. From her garden, to mine, to yours, enjoy! Your winter-self will thank you.

Pin

What is Pesto?

Pesto is a sauce that originated in north Italy around the 16th century. It was a simple crushed sauce of basil, garlic, oil, and cheese. Over the years, folks have come up with variations, like garden green pesto, sun-dried tomato pesto, or this delicious Garlic Scape Pesto I made from our garden this year. Though pesto is traditionally made with a mortar and pestle, using a food processor certainly speeds things up. One thing is consistent with all variations of pesto, you need FRESH basil. While dried basil is great in soups and sauces, the purpose of making pesto is preserving the fresh leaves and it gives it that fresh, punchy taste you are looking for.

If you are interested in growing your own basil, check out this Quick Guide for Growing Basil from Organic Authority. Our two favorite basil varieties to grow can be found from Baker Creek: Genovese Basil (the classic Italian variety) and Lettuce Leaf Basil (thick and sturdy leaves, rich in minerals).

Medicinal Benefits of Basil:

There are surprisingly 150 varieties of basil grown around the world, and for good reason! Aside from its delicious flavor, basil has incredible medicinal benefits. The original Greek word for basil means “royal herb” because it was traditionally used as a special salve for royalty.

Basil is most commonly used to ease digestive troubles, like helping to ease cramps and relieving nausea. It is high in antibacterial properties as well and is perfect for treating insect bites and stings by making a simple poultice. It has also been used to treat insomnia, depression and mild anxiety. Now picture eating tasty pasta with homemade pesto all over it…you are feeding your body delicious and medicinal food. Win-win, I’d say.

Garden Basil Pesto Ingredients:

While this recipe gives specific measurements, pesto ingredients are super flexible! If you have more basil than you know what to do with, go ahead and pack a whole food processor full with basil and simply adjust the amount of oil. Taste as you go and experiment. Point being: you can’t go wrong with pesto!

• Fresh basil. 2 cups (or so)
• Olive oil. 1/2 cup of oil; we like extra virgin olive oil or you can use a “robust” olive oil for a deeper flavor
• Fresh garlic cloves. 2 cloves, minced. Roasted garlic is also delicious!
• Parmesan. 1/2 cup
• Walnuts. 1/4 cup; can also substitute for pine nuts or pecans
• Salt to taste

Tools needed: Food processor and freezer-friendly containers

How to Make Garden Basil Freeze Pesto:

1. Add fresh basil, olive oil, fresh minced garlic cloves, parmesan, and walnuts to a food processor. (You can also use a mortar and pestle if you are feeling fancy, though I highly recommend this quick method!) Make sure the basil is freshly rinsed if you freshly picked it from the garden. Pin
2. Blend until all ingredients come together, very finely chopped. If you are using more than 2 cups of basil, add enough oil until it reaches a smooth, oily texture. Pin
3. Add salt to taste.
4. Scoop pesto into freezer storage containers or mason jars. If using a mason jar, make sure to leave an inch of headspace to avoid a broken jar of pesto in your freezer.
5. Enjoy now, enjoy later, enjoy alllll winter long. If you want to use it immediately, use it on a sourdough grilled cheese sandwich, pasta, roasted potatoes, or baked chicken!Pin

Pin