Classic Pesto
(from Arlene Hayden)

Makes about 1 cup

4 cups fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 garlic cloves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup freshly grated pecorino Sardo cheese
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

Combine first 4 ingredients in blender. Blend until paste forms, stopping often to push down basil. Add both cheeses and salt; blend until smooth. Transfer to small bowl. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Top with olive oil just enough to cover and chill.) Pesto may also be frozen for later use.
 

Baba Ganouj
(Middle Eastern Eggplant Puree)
(from Arlene Hayden)

Serve this as a dip for raw vegetables or with toasted pita bread.

2 pounds eggplant
6 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
4 Tablespoons tahini (sesame paste)
4 Garlic cloves, finely chopped or pressed
2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Wash eggplant and pierce the skins with a fork and place them on a baking sheet. Bake until skins are wrinkled and insides are very soft, approximately 45 minutes, depending on size. When cool enough to handle, scoop out the insides and place in a food processor with remaining ingredients. Puree until smooth. Cool to room temperature. Serve in a bowl topped with a swirl of olive oil and chopped green onion.

Yield: 3 Cups
 

Freeze Eggs While the Spring Sun Shines

(from Happy Farm)

Hens lay the most eggs in the spring and then gradually slow down throughout the summer and fall to a natural low during the winter (even with extra hours of daylight added with lights). Contrarily, our egg demand tends to be highest in fall and through the Holidays.

We time the addition of each year's replacement hens so that the new ladies will start laying in late summer when the demand is high and the older hens are slowing down. Some years this works perfectly, other years (such as 2009) it doesn't work quite so well - for reasons beyond our ken. But no matter what we do there are bound to be weeks when we sell out before everyone who wants our tasty Happy Farm eggs can get some.

If you have a freezer and would like to insure you always have Happy Farm eggs on hand for baking, scrambling, making quiche, etc. it is quite easy to freeze eggs at home. You can't, unfortunately, freeze them in their own neat little packages as the shell will almost always crack and the thawed yolk will be thick and gluey (though perfectly edible). But crack them out of their shells and beat them gently and you can freeze whole eggs, just yolks, or just whites with very good results down the road.

Crack eggs into a bowl, separating them if desired, and beat gently to break membranes and blend (avoid adding air bubbles as much as possible).

For whole eggs or yolks add either ½ teaspoon salt (for savory dishes) or 1 tablespoon of sugar (for baking) per cup of liquid to improve the thawed product. Whites are fine frozen plain.

Freeze in the amounts you will use at one time so you can thaw only what you need.

A single large egg = about 3 Tablespoons, which will fit in an ice cube tray compartment. Pop frozen egg cubes into a tightly-sealable container.

                                                    2 large eggs = about 1/3 cup of whole egg

                                                    3 large eggs = about ½ cup of whole egg

                                                    6 large eggs = about 1 cup of whole egg

Freeze and store in air-tight containers, allowing space for expansion.

Be sure to mark each container so you know how much is in it, if the egg are salted or sweetened, and when you put it in the deep freeze so you can use the eldest first.

To use thaw in the fridge overnight and be sure to adjust your recipe to account for the added salt or sugar.

  ENJOY!