What is still growing in your vegetable garden? (October) (irrigating, mushrooms, cilantro)

[alexei27]

north shore long Island. still have lettuce and a few squash. Cut all the basil today and made a few pints of pesto. First frost tomorrow night...so we are basically done.

[33458]

Huntsville, Zone 7b...basil, sweet chili peppers. Grape vine was not happy this year, must move come Spring...not enough sun.
Started lettuce and chard for the walking sticks and deer to feed off of this winter. Have just a bit of 'food plot' chicory and burdock growing in one area...the deer haven't noticed either yet, even though it's there for them. :I

Have apple seedlings started from local fruit. One is a healthy size, others just forming. Will attempt to keep alive, wintered indoors to plant in 2010. Pink Lady, crisp something or other. We and Bambi both liked it.

My passiflora started up so late (August!) that only NOW are the vines are loaded with blooms. Just in time for the hummers to be leaving. By the end of the month we should start seeing very cold nights and if I remember right, by the end of November the vines starting dying back. Seems to me we had a few freezes before they actually gave up the ghost, seasonally speaking.

Oh, onions...I planted Vidallias earlier, but mostly for the flowers. A few scallions just to show daughter how easy that is. Still there. The lovely carrots finally died, but I saved a whole lotta seeds to start anew. I thought Thumper might eat those but again, nothin'.

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by alexei27

north shore long Island. still have lettuce and a few squash. Cut all the basil today and made a few pints of pesto. First frost tomorrow night...so we are basically done.

Alexei, do you keep your pesto in the fridge, freezer or do you actually can it? i would love to make some.

Nita

[nmnita]

After our house guests left yesterday and before I watched AR Razorbacks kick Auburns you know what I pulled out almost everything. I think I counted about 150 little yellow pear tomatoes that I have rippening in paper and a few, but not a lot of regular ones. I got enough beans for one more meal, one cuke but will let hubby dig up the sweet taters tomorrow.

Nita

[alexei27]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Alexei, do you keep your pesto in the fridge, freezer or do you actually can it? i would love to make some.

Nita

I freeze it...it sort of just scoops out like italian ice :-) I use the plastic deli containers.

[Starlady01]

Originally Posted by nmnita

Alexei, do you keep your pesto in the fridge, freezer or do you actually can it? i would love to make some.

Nita

Here's a recipe I ran into you may want to try.
How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother

One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife. I gave my double-bladed mezzaluna to a friend last year because it was collecting dust (I also didn't like how ingredients would get stuck between the blades), but have a large half-moon shaped pizza cutter that works like a dream. Francesca's mom even approved and said it cut her chopping time in half. This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made.
The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason she does it this way (instead of chopping everything all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as much - it encourages specturm of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.
You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right.

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
one small handful of raw pine nuts
roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.
You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.
Makes about 1 cup

How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

[nmnita]

Originally Posted by alexei27

I freeze it...it sort of just scoops out like italian ice :-) I use the plastic deli containers.

thanks, sounds like a great way to preserve it.

And starlady, thanks for the recipe. I think I will bet started this afternoon.

Nita

[Sillypups]

I "THINK" I picked the last of our tomatoes & peppers this past weekend. Weather has been COLD almost freezing. Still have flowers on pepper plants & cocktail tomato plant. Not really sure whats going to happen. I bet I have 200 green tomatotes in our basement.
Crazy weather.

[alexei27]

Originally Posted by Starlady01

Here's a recipe I ran into you may want to try.
How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother

One key to perfect pesto is chopping all the ingredients by hand, preferably with a sharp mezzaluna or knife. I gave my double-bladed mezzaluna to a friend last year because it was collecting dust (I also didn't like how ingredients would get stuck between the blades), but have a large half-moon shaped pizza cutter that works like a dream. Francesca's mom even approved and said it cut her chopping time in half. This pesto will keep a bit in the refrigerator, but it really hits its peak when served soon after it is made.
The technique here is: chop a bit, add some ingredients, chop some more. I think part of the reason she does it this way (instead of chopping everything all at once) is because some things get chopped into oblivion, while some not as much - it encourages specturm of cut sizes throughout the pesto contributing to the overall texture. All told, the chopping took me a leisurely twenty to thirty minutes, I wasn't in any particular rush.
You'll notice this recipe doesn't have any added salt (just the saltiness from the cheese), make sure your pasta water is well salted if you are going to use this pesto on pasta or the overall flavor profile will fall flat. Also, be sure to adjust for seasoning before serving. With food this simple, you need to get the seasoning right.

1 large bunch of basil, leaves only, washed and dried
3 medium cloves of garlic
one small handful of raw pine nuts
roughly 3/4 cup Parmesan, loosely packed and FRESHLY GRATED
A few tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
Special equipment: large mezzaluna for chopping

Start chopping the garlic along with about 1/3 of the basil leaves. Once this is loosely chopped add more basil, chop some more, add the rest of the basil, chop some more. I scrape and chop, gather and chop. At this point the basil and garlic should be a very fine mince. Add about half the pine nuts, chop. Add the rest of the pine nuts, chop. Add half of the Parmesan, chop. Add the rest of the Parmesan, and chop. In the end you want a chop so fine that you can press all the ingredients into a basil "cake" - see the photo up above. Transfer the pesto "cake" to a small bowl (not much bigger than the cake). Cover with a bit of olive oil, it doesn't take much, just a few tablespoons.
You can set this aside or place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it. Just before serving give the pesto a quick stir to incorporate some of the oil into the basil. She occasionally thins the pesto with a splash of pasta water for more coverage, but for our gnocchi this wasn't necessary.
Makes about 1 cup

How to Make Pesto like an Italian Grandmother Recipe - 101 Cookbooks

This looks great. I have a mezzaluna...but can honestly say I never thougth to use it for pesto. I always pictures it as a puree...I wonder if the flavor stays stronger by not using the food processor?? I'll have to rou out to one fo trhe farm stands that still have basil and check this out.

The only thing I can think of...does the basil turn black because it is still in somewhat larger pieces?

[si33]

Amazingly, some of the tomatoes are still going at the moment..Had to tear out the "monster" over at the house..Peppers are also still going and the Garlic is just starting to sprout...that is the sets im not taking with me to Florida...lol