Basil & Toscana Saporita Cooking School

A couple of years ago, my friend Prudence and I spent a week at the Toscana Saporita Cooking School in Tuscany, which is  owned by Chef Sandra Rosy Lotti. Among the many wonderful dishes we were taught was a delicious Pesto alla Genovese. According to Sandra, the dish wouldn't taste quite the same when made in the U.S. because Americans use older growth basil.  At the time I thought this was a bit chauvinistic.  However, I made a batch of Pesto today using tiny Basil Genovese seedings, from seeds sown two weeks ago. 

I was surprised at the difference, viz., sweeter, less bitter & a brighter green in color. I am convinced!  Below is Sandra's recipe:

TOSCANA SAPORITA COOKING SCHOOL

Recipes by Sandra Rosy Lotti

Copyright 1999

Pesto alla Genovese

Making the authentic Pesto alla Genovese is very easy BUT you will need a marble mortar and a wooden pestle.The reason is because the consistency of the real pesto is coarse and not very smooth. If you do not have these two precious tools…well, use your food processor!! Add everything together and pulse until you have  a creamy texture. Pesto can be refrigerated in a Tupperware container or it can be frozen in a ziploc bag or Tupperware container. It keeps in the freezer  for up to 6 months.

3 cups of  sweet basil leaves,  (about 60 leaves) rinsed, stems removed (do not use large leaved basil, it is too strong in flavor and too taugh)  

1/2 cup raw pine nuts ( gr 100)

2 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil ( 675 ml )

1 cup freshly grated parmigiano reggiano (gr 125)

3 cloves of garlic

1 pinch of salt

Place everything in a food processor an pulse until you have a creamy texture. 

Tiny Houses

Are you familiar with the “tiny house” movement?  NPR has a fascinating program on the subject.  The New York Times has written of the movement as well.   How great to see folks downsizing instead of lusting for MacMansions!   

My college roomie, Rebecca, began exploring this option in the last few years.  After reading, taking workshops etc. she took the plunge over a year ago in building her own “camp” on land owned by her family for many years in Fair Haven, Vermont. 

By way of background info, Rebecca is one of the most spiritual persons I know with a quasi-Emersonian/Helen & Scott Nearing orientation.  I’ve witnessed her très soigné in Paris as well as at ease climbing peaks in Sedona. 

She has the intellectual and emotional resources to savor the small as well as the large expanses.  Any hoo, if ever I can find some inexpensive land, I intend to follow her lead.   Query:  will the two pups adjust to limited space?

Fresh From The Garden - Train-the-Trainer Workshop

I attended a great workshop today that provided terrific training on communicating information to children and adults about nutrition and how to use the fruits, vegetables and herbs harvested from home, school & community gardens.  The workshop, presented by Marisa Neelon, Nutrition, Family & Consumer Sciences Advisor with the University of California Cooperative Extension, ably assisted by Carla Moore, also with the Cooperative Extension, was a multi-media event with forays into the garden to harvest vegetables & herbs.  We also covered canning, drying and freezing basics.  Marisa is a gifted instructor &  I highly recommend this workshop.  Besides the excellent presentation & great handouts with beaucoup resources, we prepared & tasted some mighty fine dishes.

After nibbling on raw kohlrabi crudités, I am a convert and plan to plant some tomorrow.  

I am also going to revisit my decision to skip planting of zucchini after tasting yummy zucchini pancakes prepared in class. The recipe we used can be found in this informative UCCE publication. 

FYI: my article on pruning hydrangeas published this week in the Contra Costa Times can be found at this link. 

Trombetta di Albenga squash

Last year a fellow Master Gardener, Kathie Fitzpatrick, introduced me to this fantastic squash, Trombetta di Albenga. Love the name of this Italian heirloom.  Aptly named, the fruit of this plant is shaped like a trumpet. The taste and texture are akin to artichoke heart.  It grows to an amazing height of 6-8 feet. I've planted my seedlings, which I started indoors in February, next to a fence.  Hopefully, they will grow to look like those depicted in this Sunset magazine piece on vertical gardening. 

Tomatoes

It's a little early, but as an experiment I transplanted a couple of Sugar Sweetie Cherry tomato plants into raised beds this week.  I warmed the planting area for two weeks with black plastic and the transplants are protected by a wall-o-water. I started these early to photograph for a class I gave on indoor seed starting. In general, I wait to transplant until the night temperatures are in the mid-50s and the soil temperature is 65 degrees.  However, the wall-o-waters are designed to permit early planting.  Wish me luck! As a back-up, I started another group of seedlings in early March for transplanting in May. I recommend the following free publication for guidance on growing tomatoes in California: “Growing Tomatoes in the Home Garden,” ANR University of California, Davis Publication 8159.  

Weeds and Pests

Maybe Emerson was correct that a weed is merely “a plant whose virtues have never been discovered,” but I am hard pressed after a day of wrestling with the indomitable oxalis (aka buttercup oxalis, cape sorrel or sourgrass), to see its virtues.  I diligently pull it up each Spring as recommended in a recent article by a fellow Master Gardener, Chantal Guillemin, “Taming Oxalis.”  However, solarization seems to be the best means of eradication.  A planting area layered with cardboard and a thick layer of mulch last Fall is oxalis free -- at present. 

FYI: my go-to resource for identifying & battling plant diseases and pests is the Integrated Pest Management website of the University of California at Davis. Bay Area gardeners can also visit the Sick Plant clinic at the UC Botanical Garden in Berkeley.  The Clinic is held on the first Saturday of the month from 9-12 pm.  Entomologists and Master Gardeners are available to identify what ails your plants. 

Spring is here - at last!

ChouChou exploring the lavender bed.

The Spanish lavender, California poppies & nasturtiums are in bloom. The roses are in bud & tonight's Meatless Monday diner will include a salad of lettuce & herbs from my garden as well as the first of the asparagus planted 3 years ago.  Jamie Oliver’s simple preparation with olive oil, lemon and parmesan will be just the ticket to celebrate Spring.