In the face of unbeatable odds… a five year old whose nervousness about school is manifesting itself by clinging to his mother… and a baby whose sore mouth from three emerging teeth leaves him crabby and irritable… and a husband away for hours working on the rental property… a yoga studio closed for the weekend… I did what any basil-loving mother would naturally do: I made basil pesto.
Because really, is there anything better than fresh basil? The smell wafting into the house on warm summer days, the smell rising above all other smells during the August farmer’s market. Tomato-basil-mozzarella salad, covered in garlic and balsamic vinegar… my favorite summer treat. I’ve made it so much in the last few weeks that my husband and my friends are probably sick of it. Oh, and there’s my new salad technique, developed under Jenni’s tutelage… dressing the salad with freshly made salad dressing, a gorgeous concoction of oil, vinegar, mustard (yes, mustard!), garlic, and BASIL.
So I made pesto. And it was fabulous. Basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts, fresh grated cheese.... yum! So fabulous that I was able to deal the needy kids while enjoying the food. During the making of the pesto, Alex turned on some music and we were dancing around the kitchen. Jameson smiled from his high chair and bopped along to the music. Now, I won't try to claim that the prescence of so much fresh basil was responsible for the sudden change of environment... but you have to admit there could be some sort of correlation! So I’ve declared the next few days the first ever “Basilfest” in the Szumko household. Most important on the Basil Fest agenda: making large amounts of pesto. Preserving summer! To use all winter long!! And preserving my sanity along with it!
With any luck, the taste in the middle of winter will remind me of long summer days. Maybe next year I’ll go crazy and try CANNING some of the amazing fresh fruits and vegetables available around here right now.
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