How to Make Three Pounds of Pesto

1. Scatter a $1.39 packet of basil seed in the garden.
2. Go away for a month.
3. Come back to find Birnam Wood has come to Dunsinane.
4. Invite over Julie and Michael.
5. Put out snacks for the laborers: a tapenade made of green olives ground with artichoke hearts; lox and cream cheese blended with a little lemon juice and white pepper; brie; crackers.
6. Put out wine for laborers.
7. Do step 6 before step 5.
8. Harvest two shopping bags full of basil stalks.
9. While others are harvesting grind about 1/2 lb. of asiago and 3/4 lb. romano in the RobotCoupe (the earliest form of the Cuisinart; a wedding present from Brian and Catherine: their weddding, not ours). Set aside.
10. Wash the leaves.
11. Set everyone to stripping the leaves.
12. Do step 11 before step 10.
13. Spin each batch of leaves in the salad spinner.
14. Do it again.
15. In the bottom of the RobotCoupe toss a garlic clove and kosher salt. Grind.
16. Add big handful of walnuts and another of pignoli. Grind.
17. Pack in one salad-spinner-ful of basil. Salt with kosher salt. Douse with extra-virgin olive oil. Grind.
18. Dump into biggest salad bowl in house.
19. Repeat steps 13-18 about four times.
20. Scoop out a cup of vivid green essence of summer and serve over nice potato gnocchi from Trader Joe's.
21. Serve with any wine that's cold.
22. Tell stories with friends.
23. Send friends home with Tupperware full of pesto.
24. Repeat steps 1-23 until either the first frost hits or you run out of Tupperware.

Kitchen tip, from Martha, I think: Pack the pesto into plastic ice cube trays and freeze. Then pop them out and put in a freezer bag. 2-3 cubes is usually enough to sauce pasta for 2 people. Save a bit of the pasta water to reconstitute and freshen up with a bit more cheese. Stuff'll last till next harvest.
Kitchen tip from me: All "recipes" for pesto are at best rough indications, or to be blunt, delusional. I found on the web this "Official Recipe" for Pesto from the CONSORZIO DEL PESTO GENOVESE. Notice that even it calls for "bunches" of basil leaves, and various "cups" and "spoons" of oil, pignoli, and cheese, none of which are standardized measures in Italy.
La Ricetta Ufficiale del Pesto
It does, however, specify that the oil must be Ligurian. Ma certo!