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Time to Take Advantage of Basil's Last Hurrah

The summer is waning, but fresh basil will stick around for a few more weeks. Take advantage of its abundance and whip up some homemade pesto to add a summer touch to your food all year round.

I am always sad to see the end of summer. I love the children home. I love fresh produce. I love fresh basil.

Let me correct that: I really love fresh basil!

During my Saturday trip to the O’Fallon Farmer’s Market, I found fresh basil, tomatoes and peppers. If you miss the Farmer’s Market, check out area produce stands, such as ,  and  to get the last of the season’s finest.

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I use basil for so many things. It imparts an authentic taste to all things Italian, but it also pairs well with other cuisines. The leaves are hearty, yet tender. I can make a meal of basil wrapped around cubes of Italian cheese and drizzled with olive oil. Stuff that combination into a tomato or a small, sweet pepper, and you have an appetizer worthy of wine and company.

Every year, I end up with more basil than I can use or dry. Pesto is simple to make and it freezes well. Some “experts” recommend not freezing pesto, but countless websites agree with me. While nothing beats fresh pesto, frozen pesto still tastes great in recipes in the middle of the winter. Mix thawed pesto into some cream for a divine pasta sauce. Spread pesto onto a pizza crust for something that surpasses carryout.

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Earlier this year, I had requests for my homemade pesto recipe. I have been using this recipe for about 20 years. It came from a vendor at the Snohomish Farmer’s Market in Washington State. Before I grew my own basil, I would pick up several bunches from her every week, turning much of the basil into pesto. She wrote down her recipe on the back of an old receipt. It is similar to many other pesto recipes out there, but for some reason, these are always my go-to proportions.

To freeze the pesto, fill an ice cube tray with the pesto. Once the cubes are frozen, remove them from the tray and store in a zip-top bag. I also have success freezing pesto in canning jars, but I find ice cube sized portions easy to work with. If you cannot find pine nuts, substitute shelled walnuts in the same proportion.

Last season, I began making basil jelly. While it is not for peanut butter sandwiches, basil jelly compliments grilled chicken or lamb. Basil jelly spread on crackers or small slices of toasted bread with cream cheese makes an extraordinary snack.

The basil jelly recipe is simply the Certo liquid fruit pectin recipe for mint jelly, with larger quantities of basil substituted for the mint. Prepare canning jars according to package directions. Process the filled jars per the instructions in the package for food safety.

Basil Pesto

Makes about 1 ½ cups

  • 2 cups firmly packed basil leaves, washed and dried
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ¼ cup pine nuts
  • ¼ cup olive oil, plus additional olive oil if needed
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Blend all ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. If the pesto is too thick, slowly add additional olive oil, one tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached.

Basil Jelly

Makes 4 cups

  • 2 cups firmly packed basil leaves, washed and dried
  • 1 tablespoon white vinegar
  • Few drops green food coloring (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • 3 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 pouch Certo Liquid Pectin

Place basil leaves and vinegar into a large pot. Cover with 2 ½ cups water. Bring to a boil. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and let stand for 10 minutes.

Remove basil leaves from the water.

Measure 1 ¾ cups prepared basil infusion. At this point, you can add green food coloring if you wish.

Place the prepared basil infusion and lemon juice into a large pot. Stir in sugar and bring to a full rolling boil.

Stir in pectin and return to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and pour into prepared jars.

Process filled jars according to package directions.

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