Hey Pesto!

I grow one basil plant under each tomato in the polytunnel. They make good companions for both growing and eating together.

This year's basil plants have reached about a foot tall and it was time to chop off the tops to encourage them to bush out. They will keep growing until late in the year when they eventually die off so we will have a plentiful supply. I don't bother to bring them into the house for winter, preferring to sow new seed each year. Basil is easy to grow.

A basketful of basil tops

I didn't want to waste the cuttings so decided to turn this first basil harvest of the year into pesto for freezing and using later. I prefer my pesto with walnuts rather than pine nuts - I have them in stock for starters.
There were many recipes on the interweb, all with slight variations. In the end I went for one which included lemon juice to add a little zing. It is just a question of whizzing everything together.
As it was to be frozen, I left out the Parmesan cheese, which can be added later if desired.

So I just blitzed everything up then spooned it into silicone muffin cases.
Here's the final result.
I made 8 times the original recipe and there were still basil leaves left over for the chickens.