Hi, I’m Annie! I am the voice behind the blog Pesto for Pennies. I have a long time passion for creating recipes around vegetables, fruits and herbs that I grow or have readily available in my community. I like to include local and seasonal foods to create delicious, healthy cost effective dishes that are family friendly.
My recipes are vegetarian and many are vegan. I have been strongly influenced by my now adult children and agree that leaving out the meat is a healthier way to eat. After almost 10 years of a mostly junk free vegetarian diet, we all feel great about saying goodbye to preservatives and prepackaged foods filled with ingredients we can’t even pronounce!
WHAT IS IT ABOUT GARDENING THAT I CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT?
When I decided to start my blog, I was clear that my love for gardening goes hand in hand with making great food from scratch. I could not leave my garden out of the kitchen.
Growing vegetables, fruits and herbs has been a life-long love for me. My gardens have followed me from Boston to Los Angeles to Buffalo. Gardens are full of beauty and bounty. They bring family and friends together to plant, pick and nourish ourselves.
A garden is a sense of community for me. My neighbors contribute to and share the proceeds of my compost bins. We also share seeds and plants and recipes from our different cultures. I am now growing Greek beans and have learned to make Croatian style raisins. I have put COMMUNITY into the garden and the food I eat.
HOW TO MAKE THAT HEALTHY FOOD LAST?
Food preservation, of course! With a bit of creativity, even if you do not live on a farm with a root cellar, there are ways to have your delicious homemade foods last as long as possible.
In my blog I talk about my methods of cold room storage, canning, freezing and dehydrating. No matter where you live there are many creative ways to enjoy your preserved foods throughout the year. If there is a will, there is a way.
SO WHAT IS PESTO FOR PENNIES ALL ABOUT?
I named my blog PESTO FOR PENNIES because basil was one of the first herbs I grew and I created a low budget recipe for pesto when those pine nuts were just too expensive. Here you will find great healthy recipes, gardening designs and tips and lots of strategies to preserve delicious homemade food.
FEEL FREE TO GET IN TOUCH!
Send me an email here with recipe or garden questions or comment on my posts. Follow me on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram. Subscribe to PESTO FOR PENNIES so you won’t miss out on any new posts.