Nourishments—

Am I Boring You Yet?

By Nancy K. Crevier

Even though I come from a long line of gardeners, I am better known for my black thumb, than my green thumb. The really awful thing is that I love to garden, so every spring seeds and plants come under my tender loveless care in the plot known as my vegetable garden.

I am so excited to till the soil, work in the aged cow manure, sift through my compost heap and add the black, earthworm riddled soil to the plot. I turn over the soil, I rake the soil, I rid the rows of the rocks that have risen to the surface during the fallow season. (So far, so good, right?)

I envision pea plants clambering up the chicken wire, laden with swollen peapods. I imagine lettuce leaves bigger than my outspread palm on every plant that bursts through the amended ground. I begin planning the recipes that will incorporate the endless supplies of cucumbers, beans, and herbs that will be summer’s harvest.

Some years, I do achieve a watered down version of my vision. Other years, not so much. An overgrowth of trees adjacent to the garden allows only filtered sunlight to shine down on my garden for much of the summer. (I guess you could call that a plot flaw.)

This year is the first year I have tried to grow zucchini in quite some time, because it is always possible to find some overwhelmed gardener anxious to share. But I liked the idea of having an infinite quantity of summer squash to cook and divvy up amongst family and friends.

There is a lot to be said for the versatility of summer squash. It can be eaten raw, pickled, sautéed, steamed, baked, fried, and grilled. Stuffed zucchini can take on so many different guises, and  I’ve substituted long, thin strips for lasagna noodles. Breads and muffins made with grated zucchini are moist and delicious, and a great way to utilize overgrown zucchini, which can be slightly bitter in flavor and not so tender as the ideal six to eight-inch size summer squash I prefer for most recipes. (Sprinkling slices of zucchini with salt and letting them sweat for about 20 minutes, rinsing and patting dry, releases some of the excess water that can be released during baking.)

Zucchini is also low calorie, and high in fiber, Vitamin A, and Vitamin C.

I was pretty pleased when the seeds sprouted and grew. The plants are gorgeous, and the blossoms have been numerous. I’ve been feeling rather smug about my zucchini plants. I’ve even gone out of the way to water them during this drought. I cheered when I discovered a zucchini forming, and I have been watching my one zucchini grow — for two weeks.

It occurred to me that something was not right when it remained the same size, day after day. Lifting the leaves to take a closer look, there was the sight I had dreaded: a nasty hole filled with what looked like soggy sawdust near the root. Squash vine borers had found my zucchini.

Here’s the real reason that true gardening is not my forté. I am very squeamish about squishy, wriggling, crawling things. And that is exactly what a squash vine borer is. Emerging from eggs laid on the stem by a clearwing moth, the larvae tunnel into the squash vine, cutting off its supply of soil nutrients and water. Once the worm is in the vine, the only non-pesticide way to get rid of them is to cut gently into the vine, remove and kill the larvae, and hope that the plant now survives.

I need at least six feet between me and grubs. So, using the pointed end of my long-handle hoe, I began to dig into the stem, pulling out the larvae one by one. It made my stomach turn, but I was determined to do what I could to save my plants. After all, they had given me one zucchini.

I buried the wounded root section in moist soil, and covered other parts of the stem with soil, hoping to encourage rooting further up the stem. I don’t know if I was able to save the plants. The next few weeks will tell.

If the remaining blossoms don’t make it to fruition, I will not despair. I know that somewhere out there, there is another gardener counting on me to buy up the excess zucchini from his or her garden.

Instant Zucchini Pickles

2 lbs zucchini, no more than 2-inches in diameter, sliced ¼ inch thick

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

1½ C cider vinegar

1 C water

¾ C honey

1 bunch fresh dill, chopped

1 tsp brown mustard seed

2 tsp yellow mustard seed

1 Tbs black peppercorns

2 thai chili peppers, or other small, hot pepper (optional)

1 Tbs sea salt

1 tsp celery seed

2 very clean, quart glass jars with lids

Lightly crush mustard seeds and peppercorns. Place vinegar, water, honey, onion, mustard seeds, peppercorns, chili peppers, salt, and celery seed in a non-aluminum pan and bring to a boil. Simmer for about five minutes, stirring now and then.

Divide zucchini slices between the two jars, and top each with half of the dill. Pour hot liquid over zucchini to cover, leaving about ½ inch at top of jar (and making sure  that some onion gets into each jar). Cool. Close tightly with lids and refrigerate for a day.

Will keep one to two weeks in refrigerator.

Zucchini pickles make a great topping for grilled turkey burgers, or as a zesty accompaniment to grilled fish.