How Does Your Garden Grow?

Presto!

Last night I sent a text to my daughter, excitedly sharing the news of the day. I made PRESTO! She caught the typo. I did not. Maybe it was more appropriate than I realized. One month ago we planted and now, presto, the beds are lush, green, leafy, and growing. And my favorites? My little herb patch. The thyme plants shyly hug the ground, content to rest in the shadow of big, bossy basil. This big guy dares anyone or anything to get in his way! Miss Dill in the corner whips her ferny fronds back and forth, like a big-haired teenager armed with a spray can of Aqua Net and attitude.

That was yesterday. And then the Gardener reminded me that we have a trip coming up and my herbs are not allowed to take over the little patch we are tending. My scissors and I showed my plants who is really in charge. The dill and thyme are waiting in the freezer. And the basil? I made presto! Er…. Pesto! Fresh, green, glossy – it was delicious stirred into the sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, just starting to come in strong.

My husband is the one who is laboring, sweating, digging, weeding, irrigating, staking, and monitoring. I harvest, cook, preserve, dehydrate, freeze, and serve it up for dinner. We each have our tasks. It’s a weighty thing to approach a plant knowing that when I get through with the shears that it will be much smaller and more naked than it was. (Fingers crossed it keeps growing like it’s supposed to. I’m still a little new at all this.) The plants are beautiful but we aren’t growing them to stay in that bed of dirt. They do have a purpose after all.

My friend Holly Schurter (check out her Substack here) told me about a lovely little book called Inheriting Paradise: Meditations on Gardening by Vigen Guroian. He writes:

“The fruit of the garden is not restricted to what we eat. Every garden lends something more to the imagination – beauty. The beauty of a turnip garden may be more homely than the beauty of a tulip garden, but there is beauty in it nevertheless. Every garden holds the potential of giving us a taste of Paradise.”

If you’d like your own taste of paradise, here you go! You will need a kitchen scale and maybe a calculator.

PRESTO!

(This is a very adaptable recipe. Don’t despair if you don’t have a plant growing in your backyard. Maybe you could trade with a friend? Or go ahead and spring for those little overpriced clamshells of herbs in your grocery store’s produce section. You’re still making a fresh pesto!)

Fresh basil leaves (aim for 3 cups or so)– weight A

Olive oil, extra Virgin – equal in weight to A

Parmesan cheese, grated – 1/3 the weight of A

Pistachios (roasted and salted. You can also use pine nuts, unroasted is fine) – 1/3 the weight of A

Garlic cloves – start with 2 and add more to taste

Salt – to taste

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s all about the ratios. I started with 4 ½ oz. of basil leaves and ended up with about 1 ½ c. of pesto.

In a food processor, combine the garlic, cheese, nuts, and olive oil. Process until smooth. Add the basil and process until smooth. Scoop the pesto into a container and top with a thin film of olive oil. Store in the fridge or freezer.

What do you do with pesto? Add it to pasta, veggies (roasted, sauteed, raw in a salad), mix with some oil/vinegar and make a salad dressing, top pizzas, grilled cheese, tomato basil soup, use as an appetizer on cream cheese or goat cheese, spread over fresh focaccia… it’s all wonderful!

Welcome Home!

Renée