This past weekend I uttered the words that cause my family to freeze in
panic, eyes darting to each other in dread — “the zucchini is
ready for harvesting. ”
What is it about those six harmless words that send good friends
running? Could it be the result of zucchini for breakfast, lunch and
dinner day after day? It may be that gardeners don’t always learn from
their mistakes. How else do we explain how shocked veggie gardeners
are, year after year, by how prolific these plants can be?
Overabundance — and thus overconsumption — of this summer
squash is but one reason why people duck for cover during zucchini
season. Too much of a good thing usually results in needing a break
from that particular food. Add to the fact that many people have
zucchini coming at them from several friends, and any sane person would
hide from this bounty.
There could be other reasons for our aversion to late season
zucchini, based on plant physiology. When young, plant energy is at its
peak and the fruits may be slightly more tender and delicious than
those from an older plant that has been producing for a while. Speaking
as an older person I am less than enamored of this theory, which is not
scientifically researched and can only be considered an interesting
possibility. I prefer to think in terms of experience creating better
and bigger fruit, but that’s another story and we’ll get back to
talking about squash.
A more likely reason for ‘zucchiniphobia’ may rest with a well-known
fungus called powdery mildew. Powdery mildew attacks the leaves of most
cucurbits — the plant family that squash, cucumbers, and melons
are in — later in the season and can reduce the plant’s production
of sugar in the fruit, leaving a less than delicious squash. It’s true
that as we lose our enthusiasm for zucchini, it loses flavor and
delicacy.
Not that gardeners call it quits and pull the plant from the ground
when powdery mildew strikes. No, the obsessed gardener will struggle
on, doggedly harvesting fruit and finding new ways to use it and new
friends to bestow it upon. For those die-hards, here are few tips for
using that squash — none of which is research-based (with
apologies to Colorado State University).
Zucchini provides an excellent means for enlarging tight leather
shoes. Simply shred the squash, pack it into zip-lock baggies, put the
baggies into the shoes and place in the freezer. As the squash freezes
it expands, increasing the shoes by up to one half size.
Zucchini of course makes a tasty bread, and those with an abundant
supply could get an early start on holiday gifts. Imagine how much
simpler December will be if you bake and freeze all of your holiday
loaves in August. When the holidays roll around you simply pull the
loaves from the freezer and voila! Planning ahead pays off.
How convenient that school starts up in August, just the right time
for a special ‘welcome back’ gift squash for teachers. Of course, the
student may have to work for months to get back into the teacher’s good
graces, but hey, you have less zucchini to deal with. Gift squash can
be handled anonymously, with the ‘ring and run’ technique on neighbor’s
doorsteps, or as a special 10 pound box for your mother-in-law. There’s
always camouflage gifting — dressing the zucchini up with a
prettily printed recipe card, along with some sparkling rhinestones and
ribbon.
Please the kids with zucchini-boat carving and float them in a pond,
or carve boat-themed centerpieces for summer parties. I admired one
Master Gardener’s ingenuity in entering a local parade with a wagonload
of squash, merrily parading along giving away zucchini to the crowd.
Who could say no? Before they realized what they were given, the parade
had passed them by.
For more information on growing and cooking with zucchini, contact
the Cooperative Extension office at (303) 678-6377, or visit
www.coopext.colostate.edu/boulder/index.shtml.
Colorado State University Cooperative Extension,
together with Boulder County Parks and Open Space,
provides unbiased, research-based information about
consumer and family issues, horticulture, and
4-H youth development. Contact Cooperative Extension at
the Boulder County Fairgrounds, 9595 Nelson Rd., Box
B, Longmont, (303) 678-6238, or visit the Web site at
www.coopext.colostate.edu/boulder
