Summer squash and zucchini
Aug 1st, 2010 by beth
We grow standard green zucchini, gold zucchini, and the wonderful hierloom Italian zucchini Costato Romanesco. The gold zucchini are drier than the standard green zucchini.
Costato Romanesco not only has wonderful flavor, but it is big, and stays tender at a MUCH larger size than the zucchini most of us are used to. As babies with the flower opening they are commonly 8 to 10 inches long and two inches in diameter. Eighteen inches long and four inches diameter they are not relegated to zucchini bread.
Our yellow squash includes
- SlikPik yellow squash. We trialed SlikPik in 2010 and were impressed, so that is what we are growing this year. It is larger than the variety we previously grew, and our members seem to prefer the larger size.
- Zephyr, a squash of gourmet quality when small. It has a green tip;
- Sunburst scallopini (and a few other colors of scallopini/pattypan).
We also grow the Mediterranean cousa squash.
As organic growers we have nothing to control squash borers, which tunnel into the stems and kill the plants. Cucumber beetles eat the leaves and transmit viruses which also kill the plants. So, we plant the squash and zucchini three times throughout the summer so we have young healthy plants producing after the first plantings have succumbed.
I like to thinly slice yellow squash and cold pack it with onions in a Bread and Butter pickle brine – equal parts vinegar and sugar, 1/4 part salt, a little mustard, maybe turmeric, red pepper, ginger. The squash stays crisp cold packed but gets soggy if you pour the brine over it hot.
The scallopini/pattypans are good chunked, coated with olive oil, and grilled. They also can be scooped out, stuffed, and baked.
My standard zucchini use is to slice it about 1/2 inch thick, slather it in olive oil (preferably that garlic has soaked in, or crush garlic and put some on the slices), sprinkle on a little sea salt, and broil or grill it. Good hot and cold. Zucchini goes well on kebabs.
Zucchini pancakes! Shred zukes with onion, add eggs, a little flour, salt and pepper. Make into “pancakes” and fry in olive oil or butter. Top with plain yogurt or sour cream. Yumm.
Extra zucchini I grate and freeze to put in winter spaghetti sauce. Gives good body and flavor.
Members have shared zucchini brownies, zucchini bread, zucchini pickles, all good.
