From
the Gardens Registrar: Summer Squash; Workday
Hello
Gardeners,
SUMMER
SQUASH
– It’s that time of year again. Giant summer squash have begun to appear on the
share shelves, in the weed pile, and in our dreams, or nightmares. If you are
growing summer squash, or other vegetables that are heavy producers, you really
have to visit your garden plot every day and search your plants thoroughly for
vegetables. If you don’t check regularly, you’ll be horrified to find monsters growing
in your garden. Yes, it’s hard when you have a plot in a community garden, and
you have to make a special trip to see it, often through heat, humidity, and
mosquitoes. Plus we’re all busy in the summer.
But
please do what you can to keep your produce picked. Letting your squash and
other vegetables sit too long in your plots is not only wasteful, it can
encourage voles and other animals to plunder your plot. If you have more
vegetables than you want, you can certainly put the excess on the share
shelves. Or surprise your friends. Or former friends.
Also,
there are ways to preserve your squash harvest, so you can enjoy it throughout
the winter. The easiest way is to freeze it – here are some simple
instructions: http://www.instructables.com/id/Preserving-Summer-Squashzucchini/ If you like using shredded squash in breads
and muffins, you can shred it instead of dicing it.
You
can also make pickles with summer squash. Here is a typical recipe for a quick
pickle that can be kept in the refrigerator: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016827-summer-squash-refrigerator-pickles
You
can vary the spices – use whatever you like.
Also,
if you have extra vegetables in good shape, please consider donating them to a
food pantry. There are a number of them in the Madison area. The St. Vincent
de Paul Food Pantry, 2033 Fish Hatchery Road in Madison, serves households
from all across Dane County, and welcomes food contributions, including good
quality fresh garden produce, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. Monday through
Friday and from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday. http://www.svdpmadison.org/need-assistance/food-pantry/
And you can actually make a good meal out of a giant
squash. Here’s an example: http://www.veggiegardener.com/what-to-do-with-overgrown-yellow-squash-bake-it/
WORKDAY – This weekend’s
workday will be Saturday, July 29, at Eagle Heights, 8am – 11am. The task will
be continuing the chip path maintenance. Here’s the link to sign up: http://doodle.com/poll/fu8idrqtauipcycq As always, a hat, gloves, and a water
bottle are highly useful. Please be on time. Also, if you have trouble signing up,
or if the workday is full, go ahead and show up anyway.
Happy
gardening,
Kathryn