We started off the day by filling in the raised bed we were double-digging yesterday. We poured in about 400 lbs of compost, and planted corn, beans and zinnias. We admired our sexy raised bed for a minute, and moved on to weeding the established vegetable and herb beds. I also harvested about 5 bunches of cilantro, which we used to make a delicious Cilantro Pesto for our dinner meal of pan-fried tofu, steamed broccoli, and brown rice.
Claire's Cilantro Pesto
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 cups of chopped cilantro (about 1 bunch)
1 Tbsp jalapeno chile, seeded and chopped
1 small garlic clove
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
3 Tbsp lime juice
Puree ingredients in blender until smooth. May be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.
We decided this pesto would also go well with many Mexican-style dishes (i.e. certain meats, burritos, etc.) as well as with certain grains (i.e. mixed with rice, pasta, etc.). The original recipe from epicurious.com paired this pesto with roasted beets and baby greens, but the beets were not yet ready to be picked. I think this combination would have worked, and I feel the greens that would work best would be spicy ones.
Tomorrow will be filled with more weeding (which I must say is therapeutic and way cheaper than going to a therapist!) and planting a newly-cleared out vegetable bed complete with peppers and herbs. On the way home from the garden center my host and I were dreaming up future WWOOFing projects like building a solar oven and creating a cacti garden. The possibilities of a WWOOFer are endless!
Tomorrow evening is the Grand Junction farmers market, too! Can't wait to see what other local farmers will be growing and selling.
Enjoy two more amazing photos from yesterday's trip to the Colorado Monument National Park.
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