By now, if you've got basil in your herb garden it's probably starting to "take off" - soon you'll have more than you know what to do with.  Be sure to cut or pinch off the center shoots once they start to flower - this will encourage nice "full" plants.  As usual, the Old Farmer's Almanac has lots of other great tips to help you get the most out of your crop.

One of the most popular uses for basil, of course, is pesto.  This is a simple recipe, and once you've got it down you can experiment with other ingredients.  All you do is put the following ingredients into a food processor, then slowly add the olive oil until you've achieved the desired consistency.  You may have to scrape down the sides of the processor a few times to get all the leaves chopped.  (NOTE:  the amounts shown are deliberately imprecise - pesto must be made with "love," not measuring spoons!):

2 - 3 cups basil leaves , washed & lightly packed
2 - 3 cloves garlic
1 - 2 small chunks of parmesan cheese
1 - 2 tablespoons pine nuts (these can be omitted, but they do help to give your             pesto a truly authentic flavor)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Olive oil

Once you've got your recipe down, try adding some hot pepper flakes for a spicier version, or a sun dried tomato or 2 for extra flavor.  Pesto is great on pasta or just for dipping with some crusty bread.  And whatever you do, be sure to make lots of batches to freeze over the course of the summer - pesto freezes beautifully, and you'll end up with a little taste of summer all winter long!

U.K. based charity OXFAM has compiled a terrific infographic comparing food availability, affordability, quality and more among 125 countries.  If you like interactive graphs, this one is a "must" check out.

 

It happens like clockwork:  We plant our vegetable gardens in the spring, by early summer everything is looking beautiful, and then they come - the aphids, the mites, and every other destructive little pest one can imagine.

Purchasing an organic insecticidal soap is one good way to handle the little critters, but an even easier - and cheaper - way to go on the offensive is to attract ladybugs to your garden and let them do the nasty work.  Learn how here.