I love helping my Mom plant her garden but harvesting and preserving all the food can be a huge undertaking! We always plant lots of fresh basil to use in canning, cooking and pesto. Here are some of my favorite fresh basil recipes to enjoy all year long!
Fresh Basil Syrup:
1 cup fresh Basil chop or put in Cuisinart
1 cup raw sugar or swerve
4 c boiling water
Cuisinart basil and combine sugar and basil in quart jar. Pour boiling water over & stir to mix sugar. Place jar lid over top and steep 5 minutes. Let cool to room temp and tighten lid, place in fridge. Makes 4 cups. Stays good up to 6 months in fridge. (After 2 weeks you can strain Basil out if you want but I never do.)
This Fresh Basil Syrup Recipe is excellent to use in fresh fruit salad, sweeten ice tea, add to lemonade, use in mixed vodka, rum or gin drinks. You leave the chopped basil in the syrup and can scoop a spoonful of the basil out and add to vanilla bean ice cream – YUM! Or make lavender basil shortbread with the chopped basil from your syrup.
Mint Basil Blast: YUMMY Summer Spirits
Rim martini glass with lemon sugar (can use regular sugar – I wet rim by running slice lemon or lime around it).
In shaker muddle 4 Mint leaves with 1/4 slice fresh lime, add 1 1/2 oz Basil syrup, 2 oz vodka or rum (can use Gin) & ice. Shake and Strain into martini. Garnish with Lime and enjoy!
We love to keep it simple in our kitchen! Our best basil pesto recipe is so simple you will love it! First I should also let you know that everything Mom and I create is to taste so our measurements are NEVER perfect…sorry, that’s just the way we create!
Basil Pesto Recipe:
1/2 c Olive Oil
1 c sunflower seeds, pine nuts or pecans (we usually use sunflower seeds or pecans)
3 TBSP freshly chopped garlic or 6-8 large cloves
Kosher or sea salt to taste
Fresh basil leaves (stems will make pesto bitter so remove all)
Put first 3 ingredients in Cuisanart and fill rest of Cuisinart with fresh basil (stuffed but not too stuffed) add 1/2 tsp salt and blend. If this mixture is too thick add a little olive oil and blend until the consistency you want. Taste and add salt to your desired flavor.
*NOTE: This is a freezer pesto so we don’t add the parmesan until we cook with it.
Freeze 1 cup size pesto in seal-a-meal bags. Pull out and savor the flavor in any and every recipe; sandwich spread, soups, sauces, salad dressings, sauteed veggies, pesto pasta and more!
Hope you create and enjoy! Share your favorite fresh Basil recipes with us by commenting below!
P.S. We grow all the basil we use in our recipes. Please buy basil from your local farmers market or CSA to be sure to get the best most flavorful and nutritious basil available.
You will taste the difference!
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I love sharing recipes and easy ways to preserve fresh real food! Soon I will post the #1 most requested recipe from our family restaurant!!!! What do you think it will be?
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