Garden to Kitchen

Y’all, I have kale coming out of my ears!

I planted three varieties in an 4x8 raised bed, and it is overflowing! Not a bad problem to have, I guess, but I seriously hate to waste anything out of the garden...it makes me feel so guilty. 

The other day I was scrolling through Pinterest and a recipe for kale pesto popped up. Kale pesto?  I thought pesto was only made with basil!  I had everything for the recipe, so I made a batch. 

It was DELICIOUS!

So I decided to make several batches for the freezer to enjoy until the summer basil is ready to harvest. 

KALE PESTO

3-4 cups of kale, stems removed

3-4 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of roasted and salted almonds

1tsp of dried basil

3/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded

Olive oil

Place ingredients in a food processor, pulse, and drizzle in olive oil until you reach the consistency you like. Optional: season with sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste.

I spooned the basil into ice cube trays, placed them in the freezer for a couple of hours, popped them out and put them in a freezer zip lock bag for storage.

They are like a flavor bomb for pasta, garlic bread, soups, and salad dressings. 

And a great way to preserve the harvest so I don’t feel so guilty. 

But next year, I don’t think I’ll plant so much kale!