What's Growing: Fresh Herbs

The growing season in Laramie is quite short, making growing a garden a bit of an ordeal. Add on to that the fact that we rent our home, and there really is no incentive to put the work in to building raised beds, figuring out an irrigation system, and doing all the other work that would be necessary for making a garden grow here at 7200 feet.

However, I am a bit of a sucker for fresh herbs. And every time I purchase a package of fresh herbs from the store, though I have the best of intentions, it seems I am never able to use it all before it starts to go bad. So it makes a bit of sense to grow a herb garden outside. This past weekend, D turned the soil in a little patch along the side of the house and planted a bunch of fresh herb plants that we've been gathering over the past month or so. As you can see, our garden is a bit basil-heavy, but that's definitely one of the herbs we use most often. Rounding out our little garden is a rosemary plant and a few mint plants. (Because nothing says summer like a mojito made with fresh mint, right?)

Recently, I made my first harvest from the garden and plucked some basil leaves to put together a quick basil pesto to serve over pasta.

Fresh Basil Pesto

makes about 1 cup

2 cups basil leaves, rinsed and patted dry

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/3 cup pine nuts or walnuts (or both together), lightly toasted

1/4 cup freshly grated romano cheese

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

freshly ground black pepper

fine sea salt
olive oil

1. Toast the pine nuts (and/or walnuts) in a skillet over medium heat for 1-2 minutes. Stir frequently and remove from the heat as soon as the pine nuts and/or walnuts become fragrant.

2. Place the basil, garlic, and nuts in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients.

3. Add in the cheeses. Pulse to combine. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides if necessary.

4. Add the olive oil in a slow stream while pressing the "on" button.

5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. Serve over pasta or as a spread for a toasted baguette. Store unused portion in a tightly-covered container in the fridge. If the pesto is a bit dry, pour a layer of olive oil over the top of it prior to refrigerating to prevent the pesto from turning brown.