It is great to have jars of herbal, vegetable pesto / hummus ready in the refrigerator or freezer. Great as a dip, spread, omelet filling, quick gift…

As always, start with garlic, lots of it.

I love eating asparagus raw, straight out of the garden. Asparagus is one vegetable that you do not have to worry about buying it organic and since it is usually so expensive, this is a great recipe to make when it is abundant and a good price. I used three big bunches.

Wash well, cut off any tough white ends and slice into 2 inch pieces for the food processor.

Process in batches, pulsing to keep it rather chunky. It will retain a nice crunch.

For added crunch, you can add nuts, and I had some lovely pecans from a friend.

Process nuts fine. Keep transferring everything to a large bowl.

Salt and pepper. Processing them whole will give larger pieces and great flavor.

The only canned vegetables I buy are organic garbanzos, black and white beans. Drain the garbanzos and process. I used three cans of garbanzos.

Now you will need some liquid to continue to process the beans. I added the juice of three lemons.

While the machine is on, slowly pour in a good olive oil until the hummus is a smooth texture that you like.

Transfer to your bowl that has everything else in it and mix well, tasting for salt, pepper and spices to your liking.

Pack into mason jars and leave about a half inch at the top. I always pour a bit of olive oil on top to seal out any air, and be careful when you open the jars, as the oil will spill out.

Once opened, this will last for a couple of weeks in the refrigerator. Keeping a thin layer of olive oil on top helps preserve it longer when it the jar is partially full. Store extra jars in the freezer.