As members know and have seen many pictures, I grow a substantially organic garden.
This treat is one of the benefits of all the hard work. Of course, eating organic vegetables, pickles, sauerkraut, salsa, what-not, all winter long, that I grew myself, is a fine reward as well.
This is a basil pesto recipe. The ingredients are Basil, Spinach, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Walnuts, Salt, Pepper, Garlic, Parmesan Cheese. Most pesto recipes would not include spinach because it tones down the flavor, but I put it in to add bulk, plus it is a super food. Most pesto recipes would have pine nuts instead of walnuts, but I am not obscenely wealthy, so I don't buy the outrageously expensive pine nuts. Besides, walnuts are one of the most healthy nuts around.
The spinach and basil come from my garden. The other ingredients are typically purchased, although I have grown garlic in the past and have a source of organic black walnuts where I garden. I also purchased an olive tree but the darn thing is growing so slow, I will probably have to wait decades before I get any olives or oil.
For the parmesan cheese (gasp...OMG...an evil dairy product!!!) you don't have to add if you are lactose intolerant. The pesto will still be quite good without it.
The amounts are approximate, and you can of course experiment to suit your taste.
Spinach (equivalent of what you would buy in a large bag at the grocery store).
Basil, about half of the amount of spinach you put in.
Parmesan anywhere from a half cup to 1 cup (depending if it is ground fine or shredded - you don't want to overdo the cheese)
4 cloves of garlic.
1 teaspoon or so of pepper.
1 teaspoon or so of salt.
A quarter to half cup of walnuts,
About 4 or 5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
All the ingredients go into the blender, slowly. It takes about 5 minutes of blending, maybe a little more, adding leaves of spinach and basil slowly. I suppose if you have a real good blender, it might take a shorter time. I blend all the ingredients together until it is basically a green paste.