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Where squash come from
Over the past week or so, all my favorite blogs have said everything I could have said (and in most cases, said it better) about the Alaska Quitter. This has left me with a little extra time and thank goodness, because the garden has been literally spilling over in exuberant fertility.
I've been taking pictures of the vegetable garden we planted in two raised beds—a new addition to the yard this spring. The beds are made of seasoned western cedar, shipped all the way from the Pacific Northwest, and measure 4' wide by 12' long by 22" high.
Platter-size zucchini leaves
The entire garden is a huge success, but the most prolific crops so far have been members of the squash family: zucchini, crookneck and cucumber. If you garden, you are probably familiar with that time in the summer when the produce starts coming hot and heavy. The last few weeks have been 'that time' for these plants, and they haven't slowed down yet.
I took some liberty with this Paul Simon tune (here's the real thing on Youtube to help you keep tune) because I could use a little help now:
Fifty Ways to Serve Zucchini
The problem is the garden's bursting with the stuff
The answers need to get here fast because it's tough
I thought at first perhaps there'd never be enough
But I need fifty ways to serve zucchini
Light up the grill, Jill
Bake some in bread, Fred
Dip one in sauce, Hoss
Just get me squash-free
Stuff some in fowl, Powell
Add them to soup, Snoop
Bread 'em and fry, Guy
Just get me squash-free
The frig's veggie drawer is getting hard to close
And every day I go outside to find lots more of those
They've grown so huge that they've abandoned their neat rows
And I need fifty ways to serve zucchini
Light up the grill, Jill
Bake some in bread, Fred
Dip one in sauce, Hoss
Just get me squash-free
Stuff some in fowl, Powell
Add them to soup, Snoop
Bread 'em and fry, Guy
Just get me squash-free
One day's haul - 3 large zucchini, 2 crookneck and a 16" cucumber
So far, I've prepared zucchini in these ways:
- Sliced, breaded and lightly fried in vegetable oil
- Chopped and sauteed lightly with Vidalia onions, added to rice, ground beef, tomatoes, cheese and stuffed into bell peppers (also from the garden)
- Cut into sticks, dipped in butter and rolled in crumbs and parmesan and baked
- Raw, dipped in favorite salad dressing
- Halved and sliced thinly, added to tossed green salad
- Sliced together with crookneck squash and steamed lightly, served with butter and lemon
- Chopped, with a little bacon, chives and jalapeno, combined in fritter batter and deep-fried, served with basil mayonnaise (fresh basil from garden, lemon juice blended with mayo - yummm)
- Grated and baked into several loaves of zucchini bread
Zucchini bread cooling on stove
I've managed to foist a few zucchini (and cucumbers, lettuce and swiss chard) off on relatives, neighbors and friends. But still they come! Anyone have any more good ideas on what to do with these green beauties?
