So, I have a camping trip coming up for a class. I have to make a entree for 14 people so I finally had the excuse to take the time to make some pesto from some fresh basil that I've been growing. This year, I happened to have miniature basil, the leaves are smaller and the plant is more compact. I would recommend it for someone who doesn't have as much room, it stays compact, you can mow it down when it starts to flower and it keeps growing. This variety might do well in a bright window sill. It's a hybrid so I don't know what the seeds will become next year. I'm trying to shift my garden to all heirloom open pollinated varieties so I can save seed each year instead of purchasing them. 
Alright, so here's how I made the pesto.
1.I cut as much down as I could, stripped the leaves, stuck the leaves in the mortar and crushed them. You could use a food processor to speed it up.
2.I crushed a couple garlic cloves, I recommend you start with a small amount and add little by little.
3. I put the crushed garlic and basil together in the food processor along with the olive oil. I slowly added the olive oil until it had the texture I was looking for.
4. When storing the pesto, make sure you cover the top with a small layer of olive oil. This helps preserve the pesto better because no oxygen is getting to the leaves. Without this top layer, the pesto would turn black pretty fast. So basically I went off a recipe but found myself just adding basil and garlic together and finding the right texture.
