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