If you planted basil last spring, you’ve probably been using the fresh leaves all along, to add a little zest to salad, tomato dishes, and pasta. Since the plant is an annual, however, it will only be with you until first frost — so now is the time to preserve those flavorful leaves by making and freezing pesto.

Pesto is a zesty, fragrant sauce made of basil leaves, grated Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper. It can be served over pasta, added to soups, or used as a spread in sandwiches. You’ll never find two recipes that call for the exact same proportions of the ingredients, so experiment until you find the right flavor for you. Continue reading →

I’ve been seeing a lot of articles and blog posts about canning lately; it seems like the economy is inspiring people to preserve some of the harvest for later. One of the more interesting things I’ve seen is this post in Facebook notes, called Mock Pineapple—Bring on the Zucchini! It seems that, if you have more zucchini than you can use or give away, you can preserve it, for use as a pineapple substitute later.

Did you have trouble processing that last sentence? Well, I can understand why! In general, I’m not a fan of facsimile food – my palate is apparently too refined to accept a soy substitute for chicken (or anything else). Continue reading →