It's hard to believe that we are well into the second week of July! Time flies fast, soon the Fall will be upon us and this short warm season that we enjoyed will be coming to a close. Currently, the zucchini is flowering and getting ready to make a beautiful zucchini fruit. It's always exciting to see the first fruits and vegetables appear in the garden. I know many of us have already had big crops of fruits and vegetables; however, this is the beginning of our garden plot here at Coteau Valley Farm. Zucchini has always been a favorite of our family because there are so many uses for zucchini. You can grill it, add it to a skewer, fry it in a pan, and make various desserts. The lists are really endless, including eating it raw. Our family's personal favorite is yummy warm zucchini bread straight from the oven. One single zucchini plant can produce up to ten pounds of fruit! In harvesting the zucchini, be careful not to let them get too big. They grow really fast, and if you are not careful you can have a baseball bat-sized zucchini. It is best to harvest them when they are about 6-8 inches. At only 21 calories per cup, this summer squash is a great snack and wonderful addition to a dinner plate. Storing zucchini is a snap, just put it in the refrigerator, whole and unwashed for up to two weeks. The idea is to keep it dry and away from moisture wherever it's stored. If just left it on the counter it has a counter life of about a week. Once prepared, washed, and cut it lasts on the counter for about an hour, so cook or consume raw, quickly. Zucchini has many vitamins and minerals and improves digestion and may lower heart disease. The flower is bright yellow and has striations of white and green. Surprisingly there are also a lot of recipes out there to harvest the flower before it becomes a fruit. Avid zucchini growers prepare dishes with the flower of the plant, quickly plucking it before it has a chance to become a fruit! I have personally never eaten the flower, but I have wondered how it tastes. I have seen it on a plate and it adds a really nice color and texture to a summer meal. If you are trying to make a classy meal perhaps adding the flower of zucchini to it will spice it up and impress your houseguests. I somehow enjoy seeing the fruit and taking pictures of how beautiful it looks fresh from the garden. Whatever way you prepare your zucchini let me know in the comments. Also, have you ever tried the flower? With a harvest time of about 50-60 days, if you have never planted this summer squash, I believe you would still have time if you began today! Maybe you too will enjoy this delicious summer treat.
Coteau des Prairies
South Dakota Hobby Farm
Comments