The basil or the pesto? Ok… obviously it was the basil, but sometimes in your garden it takes a really great recipe to want to grow something. For me, it was this pesto recipe by Homestead and Chill. I have made this recipe twice and both times it turned out perfectly. I love a recipe that you can easily replicate in your own kitchen. 

At my local Costco they have huge half pound bags of basil, which is great for someone like me who didn’t grow very much this year. 

I washed the basil and removed all the leaves. The stems go out to the chickens. Waste not want not, am I right?!

I mixed everything in my Blendtec which mixed it up like a dream. I did have to add about 2 Tablespoons of water to get it to really mix, but it did not affect the flavor or consistency. 

After everything was blended, I poured it into 8 oz. wide mouth jars and popped them into the freezer. Make sure you don’t stack them and unscrew the lids until they are frozen. No one wants a broken mason jar in their freezer. 

This recipe is super simple and can be made with things you probably already have in your pantry. AND what a treat to pull out a flavor packed jar of pesto to remind you to grow lots and lots of basil next summer!