I planted Sage in the herb garden this year because we LOVE Pesto and I thought I'd try Sage Pesto. I'd found a great deal on end of summer clearance and since Sage is Perennial I thought I'd take advantage of the cheap price (something like $2) and give it a whirl. Considering that it was planted in August it's grown really well, I think I've made a good choice.
Having never grown Sage before and with it getting close to the end of the garden season, I thought I'd research to see how much of the plant I can harvest without killing it. Good thing I did! Apparently you're not supposed to harvest much of the plant in the first year. Great! No Sage Pesto this year.
So from my research, what I need to do is mulch the plant really well with something like leaves. In the spring when I uncover it I need to prune it to shape the plant. Then midsummer is when I can have my harvest I'm wishing for. Given it's hardy nature, and if it grows well in our climate, I may push my luck and try for two harvests.
For now I'm going to enjoy a few leaves here and there and look forward to a yummy harvest next year.
Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pesto. Show all posts
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Crazy Weather and Basil Pesto
Today's forecast is 85F and we'll be running the AC, which is just crazy in October. Last year this weekend we had a frost advisory for which I lovingly covered my garden in sheets, only to discover 2 inches of wet snow the next day.
To add misery to the mix, there had been wind that night that blew my sheets off some of the herbs and I lost my basil which I discovered is far too tender for cold weather. I did of course make an attempt to try and save the basil by researching the internet. Several sites suggested that a person could still dry the leaves in the dehydrator so I cleaned the dark soggy leaves as best I could and put them in the dehydrator. No luck. They did dry but into flavorless black things that were not fit for use.
Having learned that lesson, I made sure I harvested my basil last weekend when they issued a frost advisory. I clipped out all the basil stalks, washed them carefully in the sink to get rid of all the bugs and dirt, and laid them on layers of tea towels to dry. It turned out that we did not get frost that night but it was good to force me to make the pesto, lots, and get it into the freezer for the winter.
This time I made Sun-dried tomato basil pesto. It's hard to share the recipe because I'm an experimental cook but pretty much it was:
- 1/2 Costco size jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- cake mixing bowl 3/4 full of basil leaves that had the stems pinched off
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- about 2 cups of parmesan cheese
- lots and lots of olive oil, pour freely
Process until well blended. I use the blender although it's more challenging and would be a lot easier with a food processor (which is on my wish list).
To add misery to the mix, there had been wind that night that blew my sheets off some of the herbs and I lost my basil which I discovered is far too tender for cold weather. I did of course make an attempt to try and save the basil by researching the internet. Several sites suggested that a person could still dry the leaves in the dehydrator so I cleaned the dark soggy leaves as best I could and put them in the dehydrator. No luck. They did dry but into flavorless black things that were not fit for use.
Having learned that lesson, I made sure I harvested my basil last weekend when they issued a frost advisory. I clipped out all the basil stalks, washed them carefully in the sink to get rid of all the bugs and dirt, and laid them on layers of tea towels to dry. It turned out that we did not get frost that night but it was good to force me to make the pesto, lots, and get it into the freezer for the winter.
This time I made Sun-dried tomato basil pesto. It's hard to share the recipe because I'm an experimental cook but pretty much it was:
- 1/2 Costco size jar of sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil
- cake mixing bowl 3/4 full of basil leaves that had the stems pinched off
- 5-6 cloves of garlic, minced
- about 2 cups of parmesan cheese
- lots and lots of olive oil, pour freely
Process until well blended. I use the blender although it's more challenging and would be a lot easier with a food processor (which is on my wish list).
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)