Basil Pesto! This is an easy recipe and a great way to use up the abundance of basil kicking around my garden late summer. I blend basil, walnuts, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, salt and a bit of water until the mixture is as smooth as possible. This will keep in the fridge for a few days, or you can freeze it for later use. I like to use silicone muffin cups when freezing. Once frozen the pesto pops out easily and you can transfer to a resealable bag or container for later use. 

Nut alternatives:
I think you could almost use any nut or seed you want. I used walnuts, but of course pine nuts would work. I wouldn't hesitate to use sunflower seeds (an affordable option), and I think pumpkin seeds would be fun too! 

I do like to toast my nuts or seeds first before blending for best flavour. 

How to use Basil Pesto

• Smeared onto flatbreads and baked with tomato and vegan mozzarella. 
• tossed with pasta
• whisked into soups or used as a garnish
• tucked into a grilled cheese
• roasted vegetable club sandwiches instead of mayo
• stuffed into mushrooms with cheese and breadcrumbs
• stirred into a Mediterranean tofu scramble
• stuffed into or spooned over roasted baby potatoes

As stated above, this recipe is great for using up all that basil in one's garden! I tend to preserve each herb in my garden differently. Mint, I dehydrate mostly. Basil however, is an herb I rarely use dried. So basil pesto frozen into little silicone muffin cups is one of the ways I love to store it for longer uses, preserving that fresh basil taste. 

If you are on the hunt for a delicious sweet pickle with a bit of added zip, these British Bread and Butter Pickles might be exactly what you are looking for. Perfect with your favourite sandwich, or on a picky plate with vegan cheese and charcuterie type things. The recipe is from the Bernardin home preserving cookbook, but I converted it for the amount of pickling cucumbers I had - a 5 lb bag.

This post isn't going to walk you through the ins and outs of proper canning processes - there are better resources for that, but I will share the recipe and basic steps.

British bread and butter pickles vs Regular Bread and Butter Pickles
The British variety of this recipe swaps out white sugar and vinegar for brown sugar and apple cider vinegar. To me, this just makes sense. Brown sugar and ACV are going to lend more complex flavour to the final product. The spices used are mostly the same. You will find Celery Seed, Mustard Seed and Turmeric in both, but the British version also adds powdered ginger. A generous amount of thinly sliced white onion is also tossed into the mix. I don't really have much to add here. Find the best quality in season pickling cucumbers you can, and try the recipe for yourself. I'm so glad I did, because now I will be making these every summer to enjoy all winter long.