Farm-to-Table: Five Basil Garden Pesto

Happy September! Now that summer is coming to an end it’s time to use up all those herbs in your garden. If you have basil growing, you may notice that in September they will start to flower which indicates the plant’s life and the season is coming to an end. We’ve got lots of fresh herbs growing in the garden at TinkerBox, and decided this was the perfect time to share one of our favorite recipes for pesto using five different types of basil.

We used green and purple basil varieties from our TinkerBox garden including Dark Lady, Wild Magic, Aroma Basil and Pesto Perpetuo – but you could use any type of basil from your garden or local market for this recipe.

Five Basil Garden Pesto

Here’s what you’ll need:

2 cups fresh basil leaves (stems removed)
1/2 cup walnuts
4 cloves of garlic (peeled)
½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper
⅓ to ½ cup extra virgin olive oil (approximately)

For best results, use a small chopper, food processor or even a hand held immersion blender to combine the ingredients. Start by chopping up the garlic by itself first.

Then add in the basil, walnuts and a little olive oil. Then add in the Parmesan cheese.

Continue processing and add in olive oil as you go until you get the pesto to the consistency you want. Add salt and pepper to taste.

You could also use pine nuts instead of walnuts, add sundried tomatoes, or use half the basil and supplement with spinach leaves or arugula to mix it up. So many options to try – have fun experimenting and see what you like best!

This pesto is delicious on just about anything – enjoy it with fresh tomatoes and mozzarella, on grilled vegetables, tossed over pasta, on bread or crostini, or in panzanella!