squash bread

My evening activity is making zucchini/squash bread. (While watching the awesome Chinese Olympics opening!) I grated a pile of overgrown squash - the ones that I didn't find until too late. My mom said to look for a car with an open window and put them in. But no, I grated them all. I ended up with a pile of baggies full that I froze.

I have been reading through Marion Morash's Victory Garden Cookbook again (I read this every year I think). Lots of squash ideas. I will try using my frozen grated squash in soups, pasta sauce and squash breads and cakes later.

Kathy's Summer Squash Bread
(From The Victory Garden Cookbook, by Marion Morash, where its called Lynn's Spicy Zucchini Bread. This version has my changes.)

3 cups flour: 1 cup whole spelt flour and 2 cups all purpose white flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
3 eggs
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups lightly packed grated summer squashes
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup nuts (I used sliced almonds)

Mix the dry ingredients together. Beat the eggs with the sugar, oil and vanilla. Gradually beat in the dry ingredients. Stir in squash, raisins and nuts. Divide between two 9x5-inch loaf pans generously greased with butter. Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven until done (50-70 minutes).

Cucurbita pepo (squash)
Skippy's vegetable recipes

Cucurbita pepo (yellow summer squash) problem

Well, I'm starting to be concerned about my squash. They are very pretty, but no squash. They started blooming July 2. That's 3 1/2 weeks ago! It seems like along time to wait with no sign of fruits. I did Google the delay and it seems unusual. The female flowers should show up 3-7 days after the males. A delay means the plants are stressed. Oh well. I'm not sure why. One site said low fruiting could be due to nutrient wash-out from excessive rain. We certainly have had excessive rain. I suppose I'll add some more fertilizer. And some extra phoshate. Can't hurt. Bother.

topic: yellow squash
Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

melons and winter squashes setting fruit

I am having fun watching for baby melons. These are now setting fruit. I have heard that I should remove all but two fruits of the larger varieties.

The fruits above are large watermelon, Delicata squash, a large-fruited bottle gourd, Baby Pam pumpkin, Lakota squash and finally a Big Rock pumpkin.

The male flowers below are watermelon, a Big Rock pumpkin flower and a couple of bottle gourd flowers. The white gourds blossoms seem to open in the evening and the yellow melon and orange squashes in the morning. I suspect the white flowers are pollinated by moths at night and I know the bees frequent the melons and squashes.

FYI: I looked up some information tonight on the fruit set process. Of course, squash and melon flowers are either male or female. Female flowers have a baby fruit below the blossom and males don't. Pollination is needed for fruit set. Fruit set also requires a certain temperature range (not too hot) and a healthy vine. Fruit set occurs if the fruit continues to grow several days after the flower has shriveled and fallen off. If the female blossom was not pollinated, the fruit will not set.

Now that I have lots of baby fruits, I'm hoping for at least a few to set. Maybe I'll get a great big watermelon or pumpkin this year!




Here's a photo my dad sent me of a Delicata squash that has set and is growing nicely in his garden. Its supposed to be a very tasty heirloom winter squash. My neighbor gave me the seeds and my parents and I are looking forward to trying them.



Cucurbita pepo (squash)
Watermelon (Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum & Nakai, family Cucurbitaceae)
Pumpkin -- Cucurbita spp.

Squash vine borers

I have a continual battle during the summer to defend my squash, pumpkin and cuce stems from squash vine borers. AArrghh. I have been spraying weekly with Sevin for the past three weeks now. Still yesterday I found a hole in a yellow summer squash vine. I'll see if I can remove the larvea from the stem today. I guess I'll buy some malathion and see if this works better. Also, I just read that wrapping the stems with strips of nylon stockings prevents egg-laying (http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/2000/2153.html). I'll try this after a good spray. The picture is a millipede at the base of the yellow squash stem. Millipedes typically eat dead and decaying matter - probably being produced by the blasted borers ....

topic: yellow squash
Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

planting squash seeds

Skippy and I planted squash seeds today. Its a really sunny warm day (80F) and I'm guessing the soil is above 60F now. I turned over the soil to mix in all the compost I added to the squash bed. Looks like great soil. I put the cucumber trellis at the back of the bed and made three hills for three different types of summer squash at the front of the bed. I planted seeds for two types of cucumbers (Diva and sriped Armenian) and three summer squashes (zucchini, caserta, and sunburst). I have forgotten what the last two look like and I am looking forward to being surprised by the fruits.

Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

its tomato and squash planting week!

This looks like a good week to transplant my tomato seedlings. Also my squashes, pumpkins and cukes. The temperature is staying sort of warm - about 50 F at night and up near 70 on sunny days. I've seen nearby gardens with tomatoes and squash already planted. I think its time to set mine out.

I have some fancy thermal plastic this year. Its from Johnny's and lets near IR through, but not visible light. This is supposed to warm up the soil well. I'll try this under my tomatoes in both my community plot and at home.

My plan is to plant half of my tomatoes in my home garden and half in my much sunnier community plot. I'll see what does better where. It can be an experiment. I have 10 varieties, 24 total plants, both heirlooms and hybrids.

As for squashes, the ornamentals (gourds and pumpkins) will go in my bed along the house and the edibles (summer squash, winter squash and cucumbers) will go to the community plot.

I was very lucky to find a gardener who would like to help plant on Thursday! So I'll have extra hands and we can set plants out in my community plot. I think Wednesday will be a good day for transplanting in my home garden.

Wednesday also my parents will stop by and pick up their plants. I have about 50 or more seedlings ready for them. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, chiles, squashes, etc. I've gotten very fond of my little sprouts after tending them for the past two months. I'm glad they will go to a good home!

Cucurbita pepo (squash)
chile and bell peppers (Capsicum)
tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum)

summer squashes

This year I have planted several types of summer squash. In early May, I planted seeds for Casserta, Sunburst and zucchini. The Casserta never sprouted and neither did a second seeding in potting soil several weeks later. The zucchini (Cashflow) came up fast and the Sunburst (a green and yellow colored patty-pan shaped squash) was slow but eventually sprouted. I purchased some plants of Gold Bar, a cylindrical yellow squash, to fill in for the absent Casserta.

In all, I have three hills with about five plants each. I planted some pumpkins nearby and a mystery volunteer has sprouted (probably from my compost) in the middle of the summer squashes (probably a Halloween pumpkin). All of these squashes are just now starting to spread out and bud up. Soon the summer vegetables will be roasting on the grill.

Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

growing fast - pumpkin, winter squash and gourds

I have a remarkable giant pumpkin growing in my community garden. Its still dark green and hiding in the shadows next to my fence. But it gets bigger by the day. The variety is Big Rock, which produces fruit 20 lbs and larger. Oh my goodness. How will, I pick it up?

Also growing well now is a big birdhouse gourd, hanging on the fence of my garden. And a couple Delicata squash, a sweet winter squash that I am growing for the first time this year..

Pumpkin -- Cucurbitaceae spp.
Cucurbita pepo (squash)
Decorative gourds

Squash flowers

My squash (crookneck yellow summer squash) are flowering well, but still only male flowers. No sign of the females.

topic: yellow squash
Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

Skippy and the squash pile

Cucurbita pepo (squash)

today's planting list

melon Anne Arundel, 4 seeds
melon, Crane, 4 seeds
melon, Charentais, 4 seeds
watermelon, Sugar Baby, 4 seeds
yellow summer squash, Zephyr, 4 seeds
patty pan summer squash, Sunburst, 4 seeds
patty pan summer squash, Starship, 4 seeds
zucchini, Cashflow, 4 seeds

Melons (Cucumis melo)
squash (Cucurbita pepo)

zucchini search

This is 39 second action thriller video where the gardener searches the dark and dangerous underworld of a squash bed in search of a lurking zucchini. I won't reveal the final ending, but its almost as exciting as the last few pages of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Well, to a fanatic gardener anyway...

At some point in the video, you can see the white cheesecloth I wrapped around one or two of the squash stems. This is a non-chemical experiment to protect from squash vine borers, which are always a problem for me. I only wrapped a couple just because I never got around to doing the rest. I'm curious to see if the wrapped ones do better.


Cucurbita pepo (squash)

Grilled summer squash

Finally a yellow summer squash!! Sunday evening I picked my first one. I sliced it in 3/4 inch slabs, brushed with herbs in olive oil(rosemary, parsley and garlic), let it sit awhile, then grilled and ate it.

topic: yellow squash
Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

summer bounty

I am so lucky this year to have such good food, free for the harvest from my gardens! These are photos of some of my harvests from the past few days. My favorites are the beets, potatoes, carrots, beans and even the overabundant squash. Just one? - my real favorite this week is probably the Chiogga beets and tender greens.

The potatoes are also one of my favorites. Tonight I had dinner guests and before the meal, we headed over to the garden and dug in the potato patch. I didn't remember what I planted where, but I ended up finding 6 or 8 very good sized Russets. We popped them in the oven and ate them with butter. Soooo good!

Cheers to August! The best month of the year.

I read last night the chapter of Micheal Pollan's "In Defense Of Food" where he says that we (in the US) need to spend more time preparing our food and enjoying eating it. I took this to heart tonight and did my best. With our baked potatoes, we ate grilled local pork tenderloin, Lutz and Chiogga beets with greens, green beans, local bread, garden salad with orange, black and pink tomatoes, and blueberry pie. It is certainly is nice to take the time to grow, harvest, prepare and enjoy a meal with your family (and a martini!).

Cucurbita pepo (squash)
Daucus carota
potatoes (Solanum tuberosum)
harvests from my vegetable gardens

companions

Here's two of my garden companions this year. Yellow summer squash (Zephyr) and red nasturtiums. Both seem very happy with each other. Who can say if they'd be just as happy on their own, but I think they look nice together.

Cucurbita pepo (squash)

baby pumpkin

My first pumpkin is ripe! This is a variety called Baby Pam. It weighs just under 2 lbs (same as that giant yellow squash behind it).

I've resorted to using my summer squash as decoration. I don't know how long they will last in the basket on my porch. I was amused to read this post by Soilman:

At this time of year, the house feels like a farm shop. There are vegetables everywhere.

The pattypan courgettes have gone berserk. We can’t keep up. So the traditional question, “What to do with courgettes?”, is upon us.

The traditional answers – chutney, frittata etc – just make me depressed. Been there, done that.

So sod it. I’m composting the buggers. And I feel totally liberated.

I may end up there too!

Pumpkin -- Cucurbitaceae spp.
Cucurbita pepo (squash)

mystery squash

I had a whole bunch of squash plants that sprouted in my compost bin this spring. Many of them volunteered in the garden, too. This is the first of the fruits. It looks like a gourd I had on my table at Thanksgiving!

Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)

Gretta's CSA farm

I went by the CSA farm around the corner from my house this morning. Absolutely beautiful vegetables! I walked through the fields and took photos in the bright midday heat. You can see some of these posted at Gretta's website.

I enjoyed peeking under squash and melon leaves to see the varieties growing. This photo is some type of melon. From looking over Gretta's planting list I think it may by Earliqueen cantaloupe. I need to ask. Maybe I can get a taste. Gretta has several varieties of beautiful watermelons and winter squashes growing too. Of course, lots of tomatoes, cucumbers, lettuce and onions. And tons of summer squash. I brought home a delicious bunch of cilantro, some cukes and pretty purple spring onions. The cukes were very nice in my Friday night martini! Thanks Gretta!

Gretta said she still has fall/winter CSA shares available. The link to sign up is at her blog.

Cucurbita pepo (squash)
Melons (Cucumis melo)

overabundance

Overabundance, excess, surplus, flood, overload, surfeit, glut, oversupply, extra, excessive, too much .......

I was able to keep up with my spring lettuce this year even though there was a lot of it. And there has been a lot of broccoli, but not too much. But the favas and the summer squash are another story. They just won't stop.

Vicia faba
Cucurbita pepo (squash)

Summer squash

Finally, I have lots of little squashes on the way. This variety is Yellow Crookneck. Described as a warted, heavy producer.

topic: yellow squash
Cucurbita pepo (summer squash)