June 2014 Newsletter

Beyond Basil Pesto 

Pesto made with fresh basil leaves is an easy and quick way to preserve the summery goodness of basil. Frozen, it keeps for months and has so many uses. In our household, fast food is cooking some pasta and tossing it with thawed basil pesto, leftover veggies- especially roasted or grilled- and adding a green salad. Voila! Supper!

If you like using pesto to mix with pasta, to top bruchetta, add to vinaigrette salad dressings or to flavor grilled or roasted vegetables, expand your choices by making pesto with other herbs, nuts, seeds and even leafy greens. Try different combinations such as basil with parsley, parsley with spinach, cilantro with parsley, lemon basil alone or mixed with standard basil or parsley... get the idea?

You can add different oils, nuts, seeds and cheese to alter the flavor to your liking.

You don't absolutely need an electric food processor or blender to make pesto, but it really speeds up the process. Any of the following recipes can be made with a morter and pestle. And, a food processor with its wider, shallower bowl works more easily than a blender. Either will do, though. With a blender, you just have to stop and push the food back onto the blades more often than with a food processor. Just be sure the blades have stopped turning before you stick a scraper or spoon into the jar.

Don't do what I did one time.... and stick a wooden spoon in the jar before the blades stopped turning. The spoon was jerked from my hand, bounced out of the jar, sprayed oil and basil everywhere and broke the spoon inside the jar. I threw the whole mess away and had to start over so I didn't have splinters in the pesto. Plus I had to wipe up oily basil from the counter, floor and other surrounding surfaces. I reiterate.... wait until the blades have stopped turning before sticking the spoon in!!!

Any of the tradtional dairy cheeses in the following recipes can be replaced with vegan varieties, just so long as the cheese is hard enough to be grated. Seeds such as sunflower or pumpkin can be substituted for the nuts. Roasting the seeds or nuts before use will bring out their flavor.

To roast raw seeds or nuts, spread them on a cookie sheet and place in a 350 deg. oven for 10 minutes, stirring and checking frequently to avoid over toasting. Or, place the seeds or nuts in a dry fying pan, I use cast iron, on a hot burner and stir around until you can smell aroma from the oils released from the the seeds or nuts. Do not over brown. Roasted nuts and seeds can be stored in an air-tight container or frozen.

You can make fresh pesto every time you need it, but it's very easy to make a bigger batch when the basil or other herbs and greens are at their peak.

Pesto freezes wonderfully. I like to freeze it in ice cube trays overnight then transfer the cubes to a big plastic freezer bag. One cube is one serving of pesto to mix with pasta. Be sure to mark the bag with the type of pesto inside. Parsley, basil, cilantro, spinach and arugula can all look alike after they're frozen!

Some people leave the cheese out when freezing pesto and mix it in after the pesto is thawed. I've never done that. My pesto is ready to go when it's thawed. It tastes great and the texture and color is perfect!

Following are some recipes to get you started, along with info and ideas for uses of pesto, storing and freezing.

Traditional Basil Pesto

Picture courtesy of allrecipes.com

2 cups clean basil leaves (you can use all one variety or mixed varieties, according to your taste)

1/4 - 1/2 cup nuts. Pinenuts are traditional, but I use pecans because they grow here on our farm.

1/2 cup grated hard cheese such as Parmesan or Romano, or a blend.

5-8 cloves of garlic, according to your taste

Approximately 1/2 cup olive or other vegetable oil. This amount can vary depending on how much cheese and nuts you put in.

Food Processor:
Add all ingredients except the oil and process until the ingredients are chopped. Slowly add the olive oil until you have a consistency similar to that of mayonnaise. If you prefer, you can leave your pesto more coarsely processed... it's up to your personal taste.

Blender
This is a little more work than using a food processor, but makes an equally delicious pesto.
Place about a quarter of the basil leaves in the jar adding 1/2 cup oil, the nuts and cheese. Blend (I use the puree setting or high setting.)

You'll need a wooden spoon or rubber spatula to push the mixture down onto the blades fairly often. ---See warning above!! 

After you have that first mix pretty well blended and the nuts are well ground, just keep adding the basil leaves about a handful at time until all the leaves are used up. If the mix is too thick, add a little oil to thin it down.
It doesn't have to be perfectly smooth. In fact, I like the pesto a little coarse so I can see the leaves, but the nuts should be well ground.
From The Herb Cottage Website

Basil, Spinach & Walnut Pesto

picture courtesy of Kalyn's Kitchen- lots of good recipes here!

1/4 cup walnuts, toasted

3 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 cup fresh basil leaves

1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoon grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Proceed as with directions for Tradional Basil Pesto- using either a food processor or a blender.

Basil & Spinach Pesto, Nut Free

4 cups spinach

2 cups basil

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/3 cup olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon

Proceed as with directions for Tradional Basil Pesto- using either a food processor or a blender.

Cilantro & Parsley Pesto

picture courtesy of seriouseats.com

2 cups loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs

2 cups loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

1 large garlic clove, minced

3/4 teaspoon coarse salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup olive oil

To turn this into a more Southwest flavored pesto try adding the following:

2 tablespoons lime juice

1/4 cup roasted, salted pumpkin seeds

1 or 2 chopped fresh serrano or jalapeno peppers, seeded- or not seeded if you like it very hot

Proceed as with directions for Tradional Basil Pesto- using either a food processor or a blender.

Arugula Pesto

4 cups (packed) arugula leaves (about 6 ounces)

1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

1/4 cup (packed) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup olive oil

Proceed as with directions for Tradional Basil Pesto- using either a food processor or a blender.

Fresh Tomato Pesto

picture courtesy of Farm Fresh Feasts Beautiful bounty for the freezer!! Great on pizza!

4 medium or 2 large tomatoes

1/2 cup packed basil, parsley, or arugula leaves

1/3 cup salted cashews, almonds, or macadamia nuts

1 clove garlic (or use some roasted garlic, if you like)

1/2 cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

Add everything to a food processor or blender and pulse until ingredients are chunky. Then, run on high to puree ingredients. If it's too thick, add a little more olive oil or another tomato.

Roasted Tomato Pesto

Picture courtesy of Oh She Glows
Yields about 1 cup

9 large roma tomatoes, sliced in half lengthwise

1/2 cup almonds, toasted

2 garlic cloves

1 cup tightly packed basil

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil plus extra for roasting the tomatoes

Salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Heat the oven to 400 deg. F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or foil- or use a shallow baking dish. Place the tomatoes with the cut side up and brush or spray with olive oil, adding salt and pepper to taste. Roast for about an hour, watching carefully during the last 15 mnutes. Remove from oven to cool.

In food processor or blender, chop the almonds and remove. Then, add the garlic and chop. Next, add the basil and process until chopped. Now add the olive oil, tomatoes and chopped nuts. Process until desired smoothness.

Pour over cooked pasta and enjoy! Or freeze as directed above.
Recipe inspired by Oh She Glows.

Roasted Red Pepper Pesto

There is no oil in this recipe making it very low calorie.
Makes approximately 1 1/2 cups

3 tablespoons pine nuts

2 cups sliced roasted red peppers

1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons water, or more as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Toast the pine nuts in a dry frying pan- only 8 - 10 minutes, shaking the pan and watching closely so they don't burn.
Add the pine nuts along with the rest of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Add a bit more water if pesto is too thick.
from The Food Network

Numerous Uses for Pesto

Pesto Butter Mash:
3/4 cup pesto into 4 tablespoons softened butter.

Pesto Chicken Salad:
Whisk 3 tablespoons pesto with 1/4 cup each mayonnaise and sour cream. Stir in 4 cups chopped cooked chicken, 1/2 cup chopped celery and 1/4 cup each chopped red onion, walnuts and crisp bacon.

Lemon-Pesto Dip:
Whisk 1/2 cup sour cream with 1/4 cup each mayonnaise, Parmesan and pesto, 2 tablespoons capers and 2 teaspoons each lemon zest and juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Pesto Hummus:
Mix 1 cup hummus with 2 tablespoons pesto. Top with chopped mint, toasted pine nuts and a dash of paprika.

Pesto Croutons: 
Toss 4 cups bread cubes, 3 tablespoons pesto and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Spread on a baking sheet; bake 20 minutes at 350 degrees F.

Pesto Panzanella:
Toss Pesto Croutons with 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar, 3 tablespoons olive oil, some chopped tomatoes and cucumber, sliced red onion and more pesto.

Pesto-Tomato Soup:
Cook 3/4 cup chopped shallots and some fresh thyme in a pot with butter. Add 1 large can crushed tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups water and 1/2 cup cream; simmer 20 minutes. Puree, then stir in 3 tablespoons pesto.

Pesto Frittata:
Cook 1 grated zucchini in an ovenproof skillet with butter. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped parsley and 2 tablespoons each pesto and grated Parmesan. Add 6 beaten eggs and cook until almost set, 3 minutes. Bake in a 350 degrees F oven until set, 15 minutes.

Pesto Salmon Cakes:
Mix 1 pound cooked flaked salmon with 1 cup panko, 1/4 cup pesto, 1 egg and 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Form patties; cook in an oiled skillet, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Serve with tartar sauce mixed with pesto.
Ideas garnered from The Food Network

Create Your Own Pesto Recipe!

Use the ideas and proportions from the various pesto recipes to create your own signature pesto. Did you know the word 'pesto' comes from the Italian word 'pestare', which means pound or crush.? Think mortar and pestle- the original way pesto was made.



Even today, some people eschew the use of electric appliances and only make their pesto by hand. I must admit, even though we have a lovely ceramic mortar and pestle, I've never made pesto that way. Give me my food processor!!

Enjoy the summer with fresh pesto made with all the goodness from your garden, farmers' market or CSA.

QUOTE FOR THE MONTH

"You may not control all the events that happen to you, but you can decide not to be reduced by them."

Maya Angelou, Poet, Activist- April 4, 1928-May 28, 2014

Until Next Time,
Good Growing to You,
Cindy Meredith, proprietor
The Herb Cottage
442 CR 233
Hallettsville, TX 77964
phone & fax: 979-562-2153, cell: 361-258-1192
email: cindy@theherbcottage.com
http://theherbcottage.com/
Visit Cindy's Blog at http://theherbcottage.blogspot.com/

New Organic Gardening Book

I just finished reading a new e-book on Organic Gardening. It is available on amazon.com

Here's my review:

Grow So Easy; Organic Gardening for the Rest of Us



Grow So Easy takes the mystery out of growing vegetables without the use of chemical pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers. She gives viable alternatives to using toxic substances in and around the garden. Many turn out to be less costly than the chemicals found in garden centers and can be found in most kitchens.

Pat Muccigrosso has a great wealth of experience and knowledge about gardening and growing organically. She has been gardening and experimenting with crops for some 30 years. She shares her knowledge easily with the reader. The tone of the book is friendly and encouraging, explaining how anyone can grow a vegetable garden using her methods. She is not afraid to let us in on her mistakes as well as her successes.

The book can be used as a reference book where you can go to the section on Cucumbers, say, and find out what's causing your problems and how to take care of them. Or, you can read the book, as I did, from the beginning and get a good overview of her approach to gardening.

While she encourages new gardeners in their endeavors and has information about planning and starting a first garden, there is plenty of useful information for seasoned gardeners, as well. Pat is like the neighbor you could go to with questions about your first garden, intelligently discuss the state of affairs in your current garden or chat about new ideas you'd like to try next season. 

Once you have your crop harvested, you can use the recipes at the end of each chapter to help you use your produce. Since Grow So Easy is an e-book, there are useful links to web sites with further information on pests and diseases you might encounter in the garden. 

Pat lives and gardens in the Northeastern U.S. and that is the area she is familiar with. However, even if you garden in the Southern U.S., the West Coast or a even colder zone than Pat, the information in the book is relevant and sound. You may have to adjust the seed starting and planting dates for your gardening zone, but the same pests and many of the other problems show up everywhere and can be dealt with as discussed in the book.

Grow So Easy is a bit of a misnomer, however, since once you get into the book and learn from Pat what it takes to combat Cucumber Beetles, Stink Bugs or Vine Borers, you learn pretty quickly that gardening isn't for the squeamish or lazy. Vigilance is the key to keeping your organically grown garden healthy and bringing crops successfully to the table. Pat meets all the challenges found in growing food with aplomb and good humor and knows you can, too. 

Until Next Time,

 

Busy, Busy Spring

We have had the most beautiful Spring this year. Many times here, it seems like Spring lasts about 2 days then Summer sets in. But, other than some pretty hot weather a few weeks ago- a harbinger of Summer, surely- our days have been in the 80's and the nights in the 60's.... quite pleasant for Texas, to be sure! 

Arp Rosemary. Lots of new growth!

The garden herbs are looking very good, after being overrun by bluebonnets and nasturtiums earlier in the season. I've removed the bluebonnets since their seeds were flung out. And, the nasturtiums were not looking too good anymore, so I took those out, too. The rest of the little garden plot is now able to grow.







The mullein I planted last year is looking great and should flower this year. I'm hoping it'll reseed and I plan to save seed, too, for planting.

Mullein

 I have room now to plant basil in the garden now, and hope to do it this week. I have several varieties of Holy Basil that I'd like to grow out to dry for tea.

White Yarrow just starting to flower

I planted a small native, white yarrow in late winter and it's spreading nicely and blooming. Yarrow is good for staunching blood flow from wounds. It's also antimicrobial, so it disinfects as well. Yarrow Tea is a diaphoretic- it causes sweating, and has been used as a cold and fever remedy. I like it because it attracts butterflies and other beneficial insects, even though it can get a little out of hand. There are other colors of Yarrow that have been bred: yellow, red, pastels- that don't seem to run as much as the native white, but I suspect their medicinal properties have been lessened. I plan to make a Yarrow Hydrosol from the flowers when I have enough.

Even with lots of positive energy and healthy plants, there is a blot on my garden. I have acquired a gopher... or mole... or some underground critter that enjoys certain of my herbs. Fennel seems to be a favorite. I've lost all the fennel plants that were so lovely earlier, and my big flat-leaf parsley was taken out, too. Tell-tale signs are wilting leaves even after a rain. When I pull on the plant, it just comes up with no roots at all! What to do?? 

Poison is out of the question... the cats seem totally uninterested in catching him... I don't have a dog any longer... any ideas would be welcome. 

There you have a quick overview of what part of my garden looks like.... I didn't take pics of the parts not yet cleaned out!! 

I hope you're all having a wonderful Spring, enjoying your plants and gardens.

Until next time, 

January Newsletter- Winter Gardening

I've published the January 2012 Herb Cottage Newsletter. It's all about gardening in Winter. Whether you live where winters are mild or cold, there's something for you!

2012 Newsletter

Hope you enjoy it!!

Brrr.... it's cold in Texas!

We had our first hard freeze of the season the other night. It got down to about 27ºF for at least 8 hours. Since I always watch the weather forecast, I knew it was coming and had propane ready for my heaters, frost blanket to cover hardy vegetables in the greenhouse so I didn't have to heat both houses and most the tender plants were already in the greenhouse.

Here are some pictures of the herb beds after the freeze. 

The Mullein - on the left - laughs at the freeze, while the stringy dead looking stems to the right are from the lovely Nasturtiums I had growing. I thought about covering them, but they're so tender and it's only going to get colder. I have lots in the greenhouse, some even with flower buds on them, so I'll enjoy them in there and plant more out in the Spring!

As a contrast, here's a strawberry jar I planted with various varieties of Thyme and a Lemon Verbena in the top. Behind you can see the rosette of a Salad Burnet and in the upper right is a Curry Plant- Helichrysum italicum- all unaffected by the cold.

Another Mullein with the remains of a big Basil plant- inside the circle. I think this one was Cardinal Basil - a Thai type with red stems and nice big green leaves. Ah, well....

Inside this circle, another Basil - an African type - froze, too.

On the other hand, here's a beautiful, healthy Fennel plant that's been growing here about 3 years - also unaffected by the freeze. I have lots of little Fennel plants coming up near it and in the adjacent bed. The red arrow is pointing to a stalk of Licorice- Glycyrrhiza glabra. I have Licorice coming up all over the place. It spreads by underground runners like Mint or Passion Vine. I don't really mind. I kind of like it. And, I can easily dig up a piece to chew on if I like.

Of course, Rosemary is another tough as nails plant unaffected by the freeze, heat, drought, hail, snow, humidity, dogs, deer, and perhaps even tornadoes... although I don't need to find that out for myself! Anyway, yes, Rosemary is hardy summer and winter - in the southern half of the state.

This little grouping has a native white Yarrow in the front. To the upper right of the Yarrow is Hyssop which will bush out by Spring and have lovely dark blue flowers which attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds. Then, there's a big Garlic Chive cluster in the middle which also seems impervious to the freeze. 

So, there you have a little peek at the Herb Beds at The Herb Cottage after the first major freeze of the season. I've decided to plant Calendula where the Nasturtiums are now. They're cold hardy and will bloom cheery yellow and orange flowers. I'd like to distill some into a hydrosol when I have enough flowers. 

Until Next Time... Good Growing to you and stay warm!

First Blog Post

Well... I've decided to start a blog to keep you updated on goings on at The Herb Cottage, the farm, new projects and musings regarding herbs, growing and Texas gardening. I'm hoping to write weekly, if not more often, and to keep this informal. So, here's a couple of pictures I took today while I was watering- one of my daily tasks, as we're in a major drought here and all the pots dry out quickly. Here's Ruby Begonia keeping cool among some Ponderosa Lemon Trees. She jumped away when she saw me with the hose!



Then, the guineas wandered by as they do in the late afternoon in this part of the yard.



Finally, I wanted to show off my Horseradish plant- herb of the year for 2011. As you can see, I'm growing it in the shade, and I water it daily. I'm hoping to make my own horseradish relish this fall!


Until next time, Good Growing to You!

Cindy
The Herb Cottage