Life aboard - making pesto

 We've just spent two days exploring St. Martin's, the northeastern-most of the Isles of Scilly. One of the things we discovered is the wayside stall of Scilly Organics, a small (4 acre) farm, and in the stall we found, wonder of wonders, fresh basil. We bought all they had (just 2 smallish bags) and headed back to the boat to turn it into pesto.

We took pictures of the process to provide a little window into what it's like to cook aboard the boat. 

We keep cheese (and many other things) in reusable, vacuum sealed bags in the 'fridge. Our fridge and freezer open by pulling out drawers; this does a better job preserving the temperature in the fridge, compared to traditional door-opening refrigerators.

 

We keep sturdy veggies, like garlic, potatoes, cabbage, onions, etc. in our "root cellar", a plastic bin under the sink.

 

 

Kitchen implements are stored either in drawers or under the floor, depending on how frequently they are used. We're still juggling locations, so there's a bit more chaos than we want at the moment. The graters are currently in a drawer under the inboard saloon settee.

 

 

Some nuts (like the pecans we use in pesto), grains (like rice, quinoa, flour, etc.) and other staples live in another drawer under the settee.

 

 The food processor attachment for the immersion blender is under the floor, in front of the galley sink. We just don't have room for a full size food processor.

 

 

Olive oil and other bottled goods are stored in the one tall drawer we have to the left of the stove, along with tall kitchen gadgets.  Note the handy holed plate that helps keep bottles upright when the boat heels.

 

 

The cooktop of our induction stove is covered with a nonskid silicone pad and is perfectly flat, so it often winds up being used as a work surface. Here we are, all set to start blending basil.

While I do that, Katy is dicing the garlic and grating the Parmesan cheese

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Our hand juicer sees a lot of use, so it gets to live in a drawer, too.

 

Spices also get a drawer, with stacking bins so we can store two layers of jars and still be able to easily get at the bottom layer.

The finished product. Mmmmmmm...

Now - how to store it?

Reusable containers, zip lock and vacuum bags, empty jars and the like are in a storage space under the aft-most outboard saloon settee.

And -- ready for the freezer.

The freezer is at chest height, in the tiny passageway between the galley and our bedroom (forward, in the V-berth).

We're fastidious about clean-up.  You never know when a wind or tide shift will get the boat rocking, and while sailing the boat is often heeled at enough of an angle to send anything that isn't buttoned down flying. So, as I wash, Katy dries and puts away everything.

And here we are - all cleaned up and ready for the next round of cooking.

See also the photo album Living Aboard - making coffee and pesto.