herbs and pesto

We attended a birthday party for one of Phillip's friends yesterday. Turns out that in a wild overgrown part of their backyard, there was an abundance of peppermint! So naturally, I pulled some up and managed to get some roots. I potted them up last night, and they're looking perky. I also picked a giant handful, which I've just been nibbling away at. It's heavenly!

I love herbs. I had a subscription to The Herb Companion for a long time, and now I have piles of back issues to look through, since we're getting lots in our CSA basket most weeks. Last week, we had a beautiful bundle of purple basil.

Did you know that just sticking the bundle of herbs in a glass of water on the counter is the perfect way to store them? I did that with the basil, and finally got around to doing something with it this morning. I made a very simple pesto, whizzing it up in the blender with olive oil, garlic, and sea salt. Unfortunately, Adam can't eat basil, so Phillip and I will be enjoying it. Unless it triggers some kind of allergic reaction in me - I ate a few leaves of regular basil the other day, which I have growing on the windowsill, and my tongue started to go kind of tingly and numb. Not sure if this is normal, or if it would be wise to dive into the pesto. If you don't hear from me soon...

I also have grand plans to make salsa and some non-freezer jams soon. Which - can you believe it - I've never done. Freezer space is at a premium this year, though, so I'm going to give it a go!

Hope you're having a great weekened!

Edited to add: I forgot to mention that after sitting in the water for a week on the counter, the basil had begun to sprout roots! So I tucked them in a pot, and an curious to see what will happen.