Pesto – Comes from an Italian word that means “pounded” It is often made with a mortar and pestle to crush the ingredients.

Every year I grow lots and lots of basil in my garden. Throughout the season I just snip off what I need for cooking. It’s such a satisfying feeling to do that. Today I harvested my basil. As you can see, I had quite a harvest! So very exciting! After my harvest I dry basil, and make fresh pesto. If I have any left over leaves I just chop up the leaves, mix with a little olive oil and freeze for future use.

Here is a tip you might find useful: Do you ever buy fresh basil at the grocery store only to find that many of the leaves have turned black? I suppose grocery stores can keep basil fresher longer with refrigeration, but ultimately, cold temps in the fridge will turn your beautiful basil black! Solution: put your basil in water like you would a fresh bouquet of flowers.

At the end of this post I’ve included a Youtube video about drying basil and making fresh pesto. I hope you find it useful! Enjoy your fresh pesto!