Manna from heaven

That alien life form that threatens to take over the world every summer has begun to make its presence known once again. Yes, I am speaking of that insidious, easy to grow, zucchini. Well, we have met the enemy and it is edible!

Last year we discovered one of the neighbors down the hill would occasionally put out on the corner a cardboard box with fresh produce from their garden and a hand lettered sign saying, “FREE.” Last week the box was there once more but we were too late to see what they were offering. Today, when I went to get the mail, I was early enough to find the box piled high with zucchini. Seven or eight of the small zucchini sat perched atop the box. I stopped and took four that ranged in size from seven to nine in length. Small enough that the seeds inside would still be tinny, soft and edible. (When they get to be the size of a baseball bat, the seeds are tough and hard to chew.)



These little guys will be converted into a couple of loaves of zucchini bread. One will be on the table for breakfast later this week and the others will be wrapped in saran and aluminum and stashed in the freezer for some time in the future.

We have our own zucchini growing in the yard but ours seem to be a bit behind in their development in comparison to the neighbors’. It could be the difference in altitude or the amount of sun their garden gets. Or it could simply be that the soil they are working has a lot more organic material than ours. The latter will be corrected next year when I work a couple more bags of cow manure into the soil before planting.

Now, some will say there is such a thing as too much zucchini. To them I say, “Balderdash!” Small zukes in the five to seven inch range can be sliced and boiled/steamed for a nice side dish. To add some color use small yellow squash as well…or peas, carrots, whole kernel corn….the list is endless. Those that sneak up on you and grow to nine to twelve inches can be shredded and used for zucchini bread or served as a side dish raw or steamed.

And if you should go away for a week and return home to find a baseball bat sized zuke beneath those large leaves, hold on to it. You could always use it to club the black bears when they raid your bird feeders.