Cilantro and Summer Fest

Seems it’s the social season for blogs. Yesterday I was stacking eggplant for a virtual potluck, and today I’m arriving fashionably late for Summer Fest, a four-week celebration of the bounty where bloggers share their tips, tricks and recipes about fresh-from-the-garden foods. I found out about this thanks to Julie Van Rosendaal, cookbook author and the woman behind Dinner With Julie. Stay tuned for more on Julie tomorrow.

This week’s Summer Fest theme is herbs.

Co-host, Matt Armendariz of Mattbites is all about cocktails while his cohort Margaret Roach of A Way to Garden tells you how to grow enough parsley to last the year AND store it. Gluten-Free Girl tackles rosemary, Steamy Kitchen shows you how to make peanut pesto will all that basil, and White on Rice tours readers through a series of Vietnamese herbs.

Me? You know I love cilantro. I’m not posting any recipes today because two of mine just went up at Canadian Home & Country the other day. In my article, I look beyond basil for pesto ideas. Although I offer a recipe for cilantro pesto, I know certain loved ones hate the herb. If you fall into the cilantro-takes-like-soap crowd, try my roasted red pepper pesto (pictured above) which features a lovely mix of traditional basil and light-and-bright lemon thyme.

Summer Fest takes place each Tuesday until August 18th and everyone is invited. You can simply drop by the blogs listed above (and here!) to see what’s happening. Leave a tip, share an opinion or just offer encouragement. Heck, if you have a blog, post something. Admission is free and there’s no seating limit.

Here’s the 2009 schedule:

• Tuesday, July 28: HERBS. Any and all.
• Tuesday, August 4: FRUITS FROM TREES
• Tuesday, August 11: BEANS-AND-GREENS WEEK
• Tuesday, August 18: TOMATO WEEK.

Since we’re talking herbs, do you have a favourite? How do you use it? Or are you in a culinary rut?