what to do with too much basil?

the vegetables and herbs i planted in containers are still overflowing with stuff even though it is mid-october. i have so much basil right now and no time to cook stuff: i dont want to waste it so what should i do? 

well, apparently, you can freeze it semi-processed and use it later!

so, i picked it, washed it, pulsed it in the food processor with olive oil, and stored it in air-tight containers: problem solved!

freeze warning

i think at my house it was a frost warning and upcounty it was a freeze warning...whatever: i ignored/forgot about it and almost lost a healthy crop of basil! after the blackest leaves were removed, i combined them with a lot of garlic, some walnuts and olive oil for the most delicious pesto: primo!

blizzard 2009 with fresh basil

my basil plants...wondering what the hell just happened.

how to make basil oil

i grew a ton of basil this year: one of my few successful crops! but days are getting shorter and i have to harvest now before it fades away. what to do with all this deliciousness? basil oil! here's how: clean the leaves and blanche them for 30 seconds in boiling water: immediately submerge the leaves in ice water. dry the leaves and puree in a blender with extra virgin olive oil: for every 2 cups of tightly packed basil leaves, use one cup of the oil. store in the fridge for up to a month, or in a cool dark place for about a week. delicious and useful!

front porch

i got some gardening off my to do list today: the front porch looks great! i filled the self-watering flower boxes with chartreuse and black sweet potato vines. the two large concrete containers received miscanthus grass, and a couple of shady pots were filled with gorgeous coleus. the resident succulents on the steps new neighbor(s) are sweet and thai basil combined with spearmint and topped off with chives, all in a strawberry pot.