I’ve been thinking about this project for a long time now — and chief among my goals is to share food and recipes that work for my diet and health.  I sometimes get the order of things wrong, though, and clearly I started this at an inopportune moment. I’m currently having a porch built off my kitchen and, consequently, as a door is about to be punched through the wall, my kitchen is topsy-turvey.

In the long term, the construction will pay off.  I’m starting to think that I might be able to grow salad greens and some herbs on the porch through Thanksgiving — if not even a bit longer.  I’ll also be able to start things much sooner next spring — possibly with cold frames.

So, until the kitchen is in working shape again, here’s a glimpse of some pesto I whipped up a couple of weeks ago. I generally use pesto as a sauce, condiment or salad dressing. This summer I’ve been especially fond of pairing it with eggs, tempeh, and white beans. It’s a great way to get some Vitamin A from the basil and some protein and omega-3 essential fatty acids from the walnuts. Raw garlic is purported to have some great anti-bacterial qualities, too.

Basil Pesto

• Eight to ten cups loose basil leaves
• One-half head of garlic (8 medium cloves)
• One-half cup walnuts
• One-half-cup olive oil
• Sea salt to taste

Grind all ingredients in a food processor or blender. I find that grinding the walnuts, garlic, sea salt, and olive oil first, and slowly adding the basil is most efficient.

I store it in a tightly seal container with a film of olive oil on top to prevent oxidation.  I also freeze it in big and small batches — especially to add to tomato-based soups in the winter.