It's Zucchini Time!

If you have your own garden or have been to the farmer’s market lately, you have surely noticed the influx of zucchini that has recently arrived. I have been waiting for this time of year for quite awhile. Growing up, I disliked zucchini for some reason, but it is now one of my favorite foods.

I enjoy all the different varieties of zucchini that are out there. From dark to pale green, yellow, green and yellow, long and skinny and even round. My favorite variety of zucchini is Costata Romanesco. It is a paler green/gray in color, with green flecks and it is ribbed. It is an heirloom variety that does not yield as well as most of the hybrids do, but it sure is delicious!

I love zucchini and yellow squash sautéed, grilled and in bread. My favorite zucchini recipe is Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin. I cook it as much as possible. I could eat the entire dish by myself. In fact one of my friends and I regularly split it between the two of us, despite the fact it is supposed to feed four people. I even made it for the family I stayed with in New Zealand (where they call zucchini ‘courgettes’) and the kids actually begged their mother to make it for them the next week! It has the stamp of approval from some of the pickiest eaters I know. Click HERE for the Everyday Food recipe.

Zucchini and Yellow Squash Gratin

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons butter

2 medium zucchini (about 7 oz each) sliced crosswise ½ in thick

2 medium yellow squash (can use zucchini instead) sliced ½ in thick

2 shallots (or small onions) minced

2 garlic cloves minced

Coarse salt and ground pepper

½ cup heavy cream

1cup panko (or breadcrumbs)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. In a large skillet, melt butter over medium heat; add zucchini, yellow squash, shallots and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini and squash are crisp tender, 4-6 minutes.

2. Add cream and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat; stir in ½ cup panko and ½ cup Parmesan

3. Spoon mixture into a shallow, 2 quart baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining panko and Parmesan; season with salt and pepper. Bake until top is golden brown, 8-10 minutes.

4. Enjoy!

Turnips, spinach, et al.

There's nothing like enjoying fresh greens and vegetables, and it has been quite enjoyable so far. Out of the square foot so far has come a sizable yield of lettuce, spinach, turnips, green onions, and beets. With that some basic toppings, traditional to experimental salads (pesto ranch is awesome), and some attempts at new recipes for veggies typically not grown in my backyard.

Some freshly picked turnips.

The purple top turnips came out really nice, and since there was a significant amount of spinach to consume, we decided to try a combo recipe. I found this spinach/turnip recipe on recipes.lovetoknow.com . It's pretty basic, but really delicious and high recommended.

The simple list of ingredients:

• ½ pounds spinach, washed
  
• 5 turnips, peeled, sliced
  
• ½ cup cream, boiled
  
• 2 tablespoons butter
  
• Seasonings to taste
  

Instructions

1. Boil separately the spinach and turnips in salted water for about 20 minutes.
   
2. Drain off water.
   
3. Mix together.
   
4. Add the cream, butter and seasonings.
   
5. Mix well with a fork, and let cook together for about 2 minutes.
   
6. Then serve.

That recipe can be found by clicking HERE . Explore other recipes as there are tons of different ways to mix, match, and prepare the foods you grow.

Purple-top Turnip