Texas Spring/Summer Thread

[Kyle_in_Tex]

I was told that BER is a lack of calcium in the soil. I amended mine this year with the small pebbles of lime but I'm told I should've put the fine dust ag lime down.

 

[jinman]

I amended mine this year with the small pebbles of lime but I'm told I should've put the fine dust ag lime down.

Are your small pebbles "chelated lime?" I have a bag of chelated lime that I add to the soil. The chelated lime is taken up by plants without having to mess with the pH of your soil.

 

[Lou66]

Nice Lou! Do you grow your own jalapenos too? I have 6 pepper plants loaded with jalapenos. I'll never be able to use all my peppers.

Yes sir,, grow all of my peppers here at the house plus tomatoes,, at the land (about ten miles away) I grow every thing under the sun... including cows, horses, sheep, goats and mosquitoes,, this has been one of the worst year for mosquitoes,, to dry I guess.:confused3:. but the rest have been doing well.:thumbsup:. Lou

 

[farmgirl19]

FG19 called 911 to report a fire ... The operator asks ... How do we get there? FG19 says...dah big red fire truck.

Well, how else are they going to get here? :laughing:

 

[jinman]

Jim- Here is a basic recipe for Pesto.

Ingredients
2 cups packed fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic
2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided a
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino or Parmesan cheese
Directions
Combine the basil, garlic, in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. Add 1/2 cup of the oil a little at a time and process until fully incorporated and smooth. Season with salt and pepper.
If using immediately, add all the remaining oil and pulse until smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large serving bowl and mix in the cheese.

This recipe calls for a food processor, but my wife and MIL (who was born in Genoa, home of pesto) chop it by hand. They use a knife called a Mezza Luna (half-moon) to chop the basil and the garlic. Italian restaurants in America add pine nuts so they can charge more. It should be a little stiff and not too runny.

Thanks for the recipe, Charlie. I've seen pine nuts in most recipes, but didn't know what they added to the taste. I have a huge bed of Basil in my garden and my wife picks and drys it. For Father's Day, my daughter got me a Krups coffee/spice grinder to use to finely cut up dried basil and other herbs. I see your recipe for pesto uses basil that is fresh and chopped rather than dried. Do you ever use any thyme? Thyme and basil are my two favorite Italian herbs. We started thyme in pots this year and croaked when transplanted. Next year, I'll just throw out some seed like I did the basil and see if I have the same good luck.

 

[farmgirl19]

Basil is one of those things that grows well, and reseeds itself too! I prefer it fresh, and will just chop some fresh leaves and sprinkle over fresh tomato slices, with a drizzle of olive oil, and have that as a meal. I prefer it fresh, with most things. I use the dried in the winter, when fresh isn't in growing in my herb garden, and use the dried in sauces, such as spaghetti, etc.

I think pesto would be best with fresh basil.

 

[jinman]

. . . this has been one of the worst year for mosquitoes,, to dry I guess.:confused3:. but the rest have been doing well.:thumbsup:. Lou

Lou, I think you sent them up this way. With our recent rains, there is an abundance of mosquitoes around here.

 

[jinman]

I think pesto would be best with fresh basil.

I sure prefer fresh basil and cilantro too. However, dried basil leaves become very compact and you can get a whole crop of basil in a small jar after drying. It's a convenient and compact way of storing basil for off-season use when fresh is not available in your garden. With cilantro, you just pick the seeds and put them in a bottle as coriander. Drying the basil is the toughest (slowest) part.

 

[sseelhoff]

Thanks for the recipe, Charlie. I've seen pine nuts in most recipes, but didn't know what they added to the taste. I have a huge bed of Basil in my garden and my wife picks and drys it. For Father's Day, my daughter got me a Krups coffee/spice grinder to use to finely cut up dried basil and other herbs. I see your recipe for pesto uses basil that is fresh and chopped rather than dried. Do you ever use any thyme? Thyme and basil are my two favorite Italian herbs. We started thyme in pots this year and croaked when transplanted. Next year, I'll just throw out some seed like I did the basil and see if I have the same good luck.

I use pine nuts in my pesto. It gives it a nice earthy/nutty flavor. If I'm out of pine nuts, I will substitute walnuts.

 

[farmgirl19]

I sure prefer fresh basil and cilantro too. However, dried basil leaves become very compact and you can get a whole crop of basil in a small jar after drying. It's a convenient and compact way of storing basil for off-season use when fresh is not available in your garden. With cilantro, you just pick the seeds and put them in a bottle as coriander. Drying the basil is the toughest (slowest) part.

I keep the coriander off of my cilantro too! Are you using a dehydrator on your basil leaves? What model, and how long does it take to get them dry enough to store. Are you shredding them first, or judst crumbling them after dry? I have a dehydrator, and use it for many things, but haven't used it on the basil leaves yet.