Get a store bought pizza crust. Not the pillsbury kind, but the prebaked. Spread a thin layer of pesto on the crust. Add thinly sliced yellow squash and zucchini. Chop some sun dried tomatoes. Add artichoke hearts. If you're a meat eater, sautee some thinly sliced chicken tenderloins in butter and garlic. Add these to the pizza. Cover with lots of fresh mozzarella cheese and bake until the cheese is melted and golden brown at 425*.

When I grow basil I grow enough to make a three year supply of pesto (and I eat a lot of it). Sunshine is precious in my yard so I can't grow enough of anything every year - everybody has to take turns being the teachers pet. Anyway by far the easiest way to make pesto is with one of those old hand crank meat grinder thingy's that clamp to the side of the table and have the interchangeable tips so that you can make a fine chop or a coarse chop. You can run all your ingredients through the mill and just mix them when they come out (I use a huge bowl to catch them as they exit the grinder). If you run short of any part of the recipe you can continue to grind and store your half made pesto and simply write on it what it is and what is missing from the recipe. Some folks don't like as much garlic as I do. I store mine in plastic freezer bags. I plop a couple of cupfulls of pesto into the zipper top bag and smoosh it around so that it gets most of the air out of the bag. I seal it shut and lay it flat in the freezer. After the bags have froozen solid you can stand them upright like books on a shelf. When you want some you simply break off a corner and then open the bag and remove it. I like to use good quality olive oil, garlic, some sort of nut - can be pine nuts, pecans or even sunflower seeds.

You can make pesto with just about anything! Try spinach, for instance, or any of the following, or use herbs in combination. Use different nuts for a flavour change. Use the following recipes as a guide only, adding imagination! Coriander Pesto 30g coriander leaves 90g parmesan cheese 90g toasted hazelnuts 4-5 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste Process the coriander, nuts and cheese until smooth. With the motor of the processor running, gradually add the olive oil until well combined, then season to taste. Cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before serving with pasta, or as a dip. Sage Pesto 1/2 cup fresh sage leaves 1 1/2 cups fresh parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves1/2 cup pine nuts or walnuts 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oil Combine sage, parsley, garlic, cheese, and nuts in a food processor. Process to mix. With machine running, slowly add the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper and process to the desired consistency. Excellent tucked under the skin of chicken breasts or mixed with pine nuts and fresh bread crumbs and stuffed into game hens. Lemon Thyme Pesto 2/3 cups parsley, chopped 1/4 cup pine nuts 1 tablespoon ground dried thyme or lemon thyme 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/4 cup olive oil (or more) salt and pepper In processor, blend first 5 ingredients until almost smooth. With machine running, gradually add oil and process until smooth. If pesto is dry, mix in more oil by spoonfuls. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made ahead. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pesto. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.) Thyme Pesto 1 1/2 cups fresh parsley 1/2 cup fresh thyme 4 cloves garlic 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 cup pinenuts Wash parsley and thyme and allow moisture to dry and leaves to wilt slightly. Grind in food processor. Peel garlic and grind in food processor. Mix all in a bowl. Store fridge in glass jar. Basil Mint Orange Pesto 1 cup fresh basil leaves, firmly packed 1 cup fresh mint leaves, firmly packed 1/2 cup walnuts 2 tablespoons orange juice 1 teaspoon finely grated orange rind 2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup olive oil (or more) salt and pepper to taste In a processor, blend first 6 ingredients until almost smooth. With machine running, gradually add olive oil; process until smooth. If pesto is dry, mix in more oil by spoonfuls. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made ahead. Press plastic wrap onto surface of pesto. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days or freeze up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before using.) Red Capsicum Pesto 90g sun-dried tomatoes 1 1/3 cup red capsicums, roasted and chopped 1/2 cup Kalamata olives; pitted and chopped 1/3 cup Italian parsley, chopped 1/3 cup basil, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, minced 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar salt and pepper to taste Put the sun-dried tomatoes into a bowl and pour boiling water over them just to cover. Leave them to soak for 20-30 minutes. If using tinned capsicums, rinse and drain them well, and blot them on paper towels, then chop them finely. Combine them with the chopped Kalamata olives, the chopped fresh herbs, and the minced garlic. Drain the tomatoes, reserving the water, and press them gently in a colander. Pulse them in a food processor until they are finely chopped. Add the olive oil and vinegar, pulse again, scraping down as needed, until no large chunks of tomato are left. Combine the tomato mixture with the other ingredients, mix well, and season to taste with salt and pepper. If the pesto is too thick, moisten it with a few drops of the reserved tomato water. Asian Pesto 1 cup oil 1/2 cup peanuts 2 small green chillies, seeded 1 tablespoon chopped ginger 4 garlic cloves 1 1/2 cups basil leaves 1/4 cup mint leaves 1/4 cup coriander leaves 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon sugar Heat oil in a frypan until nearly smoking, remove from the heat and add the peanuts. Allow to sit until lightly browned. Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon and drain, reserving the oil. Put the peanuts in a food processor or blender and blend to a rough paste. Add the chillies, ginger and garlic and continue to blend, Add the herbs and a little of the reserved oil, and continue to blend. Add the salt, sugar and lemon juice, and blend until the herbs are very finely minced. Transfer the mixture to a serving bowl and stir in the remaining oil. Serve alongside warm or cold noodles. Dandelion Pesto 2 cups tightly packed dandelion greens 1-2 tablespoons dried herb of choice (basil, thyme, savory, or others) 2-3 cloves garlic, crushed 1 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup olive oil 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese Add each ingredient one at a time in a food processor until completely blended. Drizzle in the olive oil to allow it combine thoroughly. Slow add the parmesan cheese. Fold the mixture into cooked pasta. Add diced black olives, fresh diced Roma tomatoes, diced fresh mushrooms and/or diced Zucchini if desired. Dill Pesto 2 garlic cloves 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind 2 cups parsley 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill leaves 1/4-1/2 cup olive oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice In a blender, blend the garlic and lemon rind until minced. Add parsley and dill. Blend until finely chopped, scraping down the sides of container as needed. Then, with blender running, slowly add the oil and blend to a smooth paste. Blend in the lemon juice. Spoon into serving dishes. Use as a dip for carrot or celery sticks if desired. May be frozen. Parsley Pesto 1 large bunch Italian parsley leaves 1-2 cloves garlic 2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds 2 tablespoons lemon juice 2 tablespoons olive oil Put all ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Delicious served with chicken or fish. Rocket (Arugula) Pesto 2 cups rocket leaves 2 garlic cloves 1/4 cup parmesan cheese 1/4 cup olive oil 1/8 cup pinenuts, toasted Blend the rocket, garlic and cheese together in a food processor until smooth. Slowly add olive oil and nuts. Blend until desired consistency. Serve spread on a pizza crust, topped with cheddar cheese, onions and fresh tomato slices. Or toss with cooked pasta.

stir fry, I also really like zucchini, and like Peppi I do buy it year round, when I want it for a stir fry or vegetable dish when dehydrated or frozen just doesn't work. I did plant six zucchini plants, one of them was decimated by the resident groundhog, leaving me five. I do try to pick them small, and my mother eats them raw if they are less than 6 inches long. Get busy for two days, though, and you get baseball bats. I don't mind trying to use them up at all and the big ones get cut up for cow treats, they love them too. I have the same issue with cucumbers, I eat and pickle and turn into relish all I want, then I give buckets away. The years I plant less I have a bad year and then I don't have enough, so I just keep happily planting away and sharing. Annie