Pesto, Part 2

Ah... Sunday... the day of mucho food processing. I got started on seeding the tomatoes for the sauce and James came to help with the pesto. He pulled leaves off all 20 bunches and we made another giant batch of pesto to split. I know have just over 3# of pesto in my freezer - yay!

Time to go through and clean out more frozen goodies to use in cooking projects - like the gallon of chopped apricot, persimmon puree and... hey - roasted tomato garlic marinara sauce? Time to eat that!

Tomatoes, Figs & Peppers, oh my!

Perhaps I overcompensated but... the tomatoes were so friendly at Mariquita's U-Pick day, and their skins so warm and compelling to my touch... I ended up bringing home 67# of San Marzanos, and 60# of mixed heirlooms, Early Girl, Beefsteak and Green Zebra tomatoes. Along with 2# of pimientos de padron (including a big bag that Julia warned were "too hot" to sell because most of her customers fail to appreciate the charm of super spicy pimientos de padron), several pounds of red and yellow bell peppers, 20 (more) bunches of basil (because I just can't get enough pesto!),

I still have to put up the figs and am looking over fig chutney recipes to occupy my afternoon while the tomatoes cook down... some ideas are fig & tomato chutney, fig chutney with Meyer lemon zest & (canned) pineapple, fig & red pepper chutney, and fig & persimmon chutney. I'm also going to try my hand at tomato jelly this week, as well as defrosting the apricots to make up some apricot chutney.

Pesto-riffic!

Mariquita had basil "shares" for $1 a bunch - I took the bait and bought 20 bunches of basil.

James came over and we spent all evening pulling the leaves to make pesto. 20 bunches = 1.5 lbs of leaves = 3.25 lbs of pesto. We split the goods and froze up our pesto in muffin tins as well as ice cube trays this time. We also managed to eat 1/2 # of pimientos de padron and lots of tasty fresh tomato bruschetta instead of an actual meal - but it all worked out.

Looking in the freeezer, I have little space but need more pesto to get me through the winter. I still have 20 cups of frozen chopped apricot that wants to be chutney, and a 1.6 gallon tub of fresh figs from James' friend's home in Rio Vista. I am going to be busy this week!

YIELD: 20 bunches basil = 1.5# leaves = 3.25# pesto

Half of 3.25 lb of basil-pine nut-garlic-olive oil pesto:

12 - 1/2 c muffin tin size frozen portions
24 ice cube tray size portions

Mint Pesto

This mint pesto turned out beyond my expectations - it really works and it keeps well in the refrigerator. If you have mint growing wild in your garden, this is a really great use for it. The proportions for this recipe are estimated and your mileage may vary!

Ingredients:
7-8 cups washed mint leaves (no stems)
1/2 - 3/4 c raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 - 3/4 c raw almonds
1/2 c pumpkin seed oil
2-4 T agave syrup
3-6 peeled & coarsely chopped or smashed garlic cloves
2 serrano chiles, seeded & coarsely chopped
Sea salt, to taste
Olive oil, as needed

1. Wash and strip enough good mint leaves to fill your 7 c Cuisinart
2. chop 1/2 c raw pumpkin seeds and 1/2-3/4 c raw almonds
3. Add a few handfuls of leaves to the food processor & process til it starts to blend up a bit
4. Add some pumpkin seed oil, alternating with olive oil for taste
5. Coarsely chopp 2 serrano chiles and add to food processor with more mint leaves
6. Coarsely chop 3-6 cloves garlic, add to food processor with more mint leaves
7. Add juice from 2 limes and more mint leaves
8. Add sea salt and 2 tb agave syrup and rest of mint leaves
9. Process the heck out of this til it's smooth - add water or veg broth to thin it out if necessary.

Be sure to tap your storage containers to get out air bubbles, then cover the pesto with a layer of olive oil to help keep it fresh.

This pesto is great on pasta, mixed into potatoes and everything. Plenty of mint, so plenty of opportunities to experiment!

Late Summer Bonanza

I owe a few posts - I have some started, and have some photos but haven't actually finished them up. The solar dehydrator is done, and late summer produce is kicking into high gear. My tomatoes are really taking off -- I made raw vegetable lasagna for my Labor Day Weekend getaway.

• Last week, I juiced about 15# of Eureka lemons from Regan's yard.
• Saturday, James and I decanted the plum-ginger and apricot infused vodkas.
• James' friend has an Asian pear and a Meyer lemon in her backyard, so Sunday we juiced a big paper grocery sack of about 20# of Asian pears and got a gallon of juice which we put away in his freezer in quart bags.
• After the juicefest, we went to clean off the Asian pear and Meyer trees, leaving us with about 20# of Asian pears and 15# of large Meyer lemons. Then we went to another friend's house and got 36# of quince.
• Monday, we processed about 8# (a packed full paper grocery sack) of basil from James' yard and he made basil-pistachio and basil-pine nut pesto to freeze.
• Tonight I'm working on the quince -- I have 10# of quince chopped and simmering for jelly, and another 5# for membrill0 -- 10# are going to Asiya at Forage Oakland and another 5# are going to a coworker who wants to make membrillo. The other 5# will be turned into a vodka infusion.

I've been busy. I swear, half-written posts with photos will magically reveal on this blog soon.