From the Garden Registrar: Workday Information; One More Summer Squash Recipe; Pick Your Tomatoes; Butterflies

Hello Gardeners,

WORKDAYS – The forecast for Saturday is rain, so we are planning a workday on Sunday, August 28, from 8am – 11am, at the Eagle Heights gardens. The task will be weeding wood-chipped areas. Here’s the link to sign up: http://doodle.com/poll/ewuuhw3akw6xr76i

Please remember – one gardener per plot is required to help with one workday during the gardening season. At this point, fewer than half of the gardeners have met their workday obligation for the year. We will continue to plan workdays well into the fall, depending on weather, but if you haven’t done your workday yet (or paid for the no-workday option, which can be done at any time), you really need to plan to do it as soon as possible before you forget about it altogether.

When you come to a workday, remember to bring water to drink, and protection from the sun, such as a hat and/or sunblock. Also bring garden gloves, if you have them or can borrow some. If you need to buy some, try a hardware store – the Ace Hardware on Midvale, near Hilldale, is probably the closest.

ONE MORE SUMMER SQUASH RECIPE, submitted by a long-time gardener and excellent cook:  http://damndelicious.net/2015/04/18/baked-zucchini-fries/

PICK YOUR TOMATOES – All over the garden, I am seeing luscious ripe tomatoes sitting and rotting. We seem to be having a particularly good year for tomatoes, and I know – if you have cherry tomatoes, you are getting literally thousands of them. Yes, it’s hard to keep up. But remember – you can put extras on the Share Shelf, or take them to a Food Pantry. 

Or find new ways to cook or preserve them: http://www.mamanatural.com/too-many-tomatoes/

SWALLOWTAIL BUTTERFLIES – We’re being visited by lots of the bigger butterflies lately, including Monarchs and Swallowtails. This is a very informative website if you'd like to try to identify the different insects: https://wisconsinbutterflies.org/butterfly Thank you to everybody who has flowers on their plots. The butterflies seem to especially like the zinnias.

Happy gardening, everyone.

Kathryn