Pasta with Basil Pesto and Tomatoes

This week we were happy to enjoy one of our summer meals, basil pesto and tomatoes with spiral pasta. Our basil is thriving now the slugs have stopped attacking it, and we finally had enough ipe baby tomatoes for this dish. To make pesto you will need:

1 1/2 cups of fresh basil leaves
2 cloves garlic (I got to pick a bulb off our garlic plait for this!)
1/4 cup or 100g pine nuts (we used cashews as that is what we had in the cupboard, and I have heard you can also use sunflower seeds)
5 Tbs oil
3/4 cup parmesan
salt and pepper

Combine 3 Tbs of the olive oil and all the other ingredients except the cheese in a blender or food processor. After processing to a fine pastse, stir through the cheese and remaining oil.

Stir the pesto through cooked spiral pasta. I am always unsue of how much pasta we'll need for two people, so I won't recommend an amount! I think I used 3 cups of dried pasta this time. We have whole baby tomatoes with it (at least 10 - 15). You can also put it on a bed of lettuce.

One of our favourite features of the garden this year is the set of been teepees at the entrance. We have grown our favourite beans, Purple Kings, on both sides. We enjoy these beans because they are generally tender, easy to see on the plants, hardy and pretty.

If I only had a metre of space had to choose between growing butter bush beans and purple king climbing beans, I would definitely choose the later! They are easier to pick and to control, plus they are moe attractive.

Spy the sunflower at the back. We have been amazed at how high it has grown over the corn.

This week we learnt that one of our chooks, Daffodil, has been finding her way under nets. She not only got into the garden (which is netted right around) but also under one of the smaller nets we use to deter birds. Naughty chicken! You have to be perseverant to be a gardener, with birds, slugs, grubs and chooks to contend with. We are thankful that we don't have possum and wallaby problems here in the suburbs.