If possible, keep (in the pot) at a minimum of 18C (65F) with lots of light. Pinch out any stems with a bud. In 4-6 weeks, it should be much better. Plant into your garden then.

The nice thing about all theses recipes is that they can be combined by using what you have on hand...and what you like. I'm making one this morning for the weekend. I always have olives, pulled some pecans out of the freezer from the holidays that i will toast and lightly chop. Roast a red pepper on the gas burner. My basil bed is doing well but not enough for a pesto so i'll pinch off a dozen tops but the cilantro is bolting so i'll add that at the end with a squeeze of lime. Tomatoes are a month away but i have a dozen early sungolds (the size of marbles)...I'll cut in half and toss on top fresh. i have a bit of fetta left i need to use. A dozen sugar snap peas sliced in half. Not enough for a side dish. I made succotash wed and have an ear of corn left and half a zucchini and squash i'll use up. (my local Stop-n-Shop grocery has a local farm stand set up inside) A wooden cart with an umbrella, haha. I usually prefer simplicity and just a few ingredients but this time of year i have a little bit of everything...reminds me of my MIL's saturday soup my husband grew up on...all the bits of the weeks meals tossed in a soup pot with homemade stock from the freezer, maybe some rice or pasta. Not really left-overs using fresh, but certainly a 'garden party' pasta. Still a light sauce. I'm going to make a full lb so it will be a side dish tonight with cod cakes, a cold salad for tomorrows lunch, (DH will have some for breakfast, lol). Sunday night's return from the mountains i'll put the leftovers in a casarole, top with extra cheese, 'yogurt milk', panko and any grill leftovers, (lamb sausage!) and make an adult mac-n-cheese. (i have some rich stinky fancy munster i need to use up). A completely different meal when baked and toasted. sallyparis-love your blog. My husband caught me grating a few tomatoes last season, "now what are you doing!?", haha. Works great in a hurry but needs a big bowl. Love warm pasta tossed in all that yummy juice when tomatoes are so sweet and abundant. tricia-haha, the harried greek housewife. Now i know what to call it! Gwlolo- No need to 'cook' the sauce, but a few ingredients do 'brighten' flavors with a few minutes in a large wide saucepan, just a few minutes as the pasta is finishing. Add the warm pasta to the saucepan and toss. A caprese is nice just on top fresh when serving along with toasted nuts if using. If you have an abundance of fresh basil, some is nice tossed in the warm pasta but save most for the top garnish. Arugula is delightful as well.

Eatbydate.com says dried is good for a couple of years. Pasta made with just flour and water and dried? I can't see a difference between 2 years and 10, if the quality of the pasta hasn't deteriorated. It will continue drying, and start cracking, meaning it won't be nice, but I think if you were hungry and it was all you had, it probably wouldn't make you sick. Vitamins are pretty delicate, but there aren't many in pasta anyway. Homemade pasta with eggs, however, is another story. Dried but not chilled, we've always used it within a few days. Chilled, a week, or even a long week, if it has been air tight and isn't going weird, and gets boiled. If not dried, a short week or until it starts getting weird.

I've told this before....but will again... When I had teen aged kids that often needed a quick meal because they had work or reheasal or a lesson in 20 minutes, I always kept a jar of pasta sauce in the cupboard. One evening, we were having spaghetti with meat sauce for dinner, the last of my big batch of cooked all day "Sunday Gravy" deliciousness....and a friend stopped in and I said, stay for dinner, we're having spaghetti. Then looked at the spaghetti sauce and realized it would be skimpy, so I thought i would add a can of the jarr stuff ( likely Prego!)...so I did and tasted it...WOW! Hotter than he!!....checked the jar and I had added a jar of salsa. So I added a can of crushed tomatoes, a can of tomato paste, some wine, oregano....and another small can of tomatoes.....and served it up. It was pretty good, spicy but good....but I now had enough for 2 more meals!!