Here come de squash!!

[The Cook]

Just picked 8 eight ball zucchini, two regular green zukes and two yellow ones. Also picked two patty pan. There are just two of us. Guess it is time to start preserving the stuff. Think I will dry some slices. A few years ago I dried squash, eggplant and tomatoes. Took some with me when I went to stay with a relative for a while. Made ratatouille by soaking the veggies, using some of the liquid and adding some canned tomatoes.

Any other ideas?

Some of my summer squash plants are about 3 feet tall and leaves 16" across. The winter squash look like they want to take over the whole garden.

[Marcella Peek]

Lucky child. I can grow most things but am a complete failure with any sort of squash. I currently have three different zucchini plants. All are covered with male blossoms. Not a female in sight. This had been proceeded by wild blooming of only female blossoms which died well before the male ones made their entrance. Happens every time. No squash. sigh.

marcella

[The Cook]

Somewhere I saw it suggested that you go ahead and cut off the female blossoms if the males have not appeared. It is supposed to encourage the males to appear. I did that with some and used the tiny squash in salad. Now I seem to have both and the bees have found the patch.

Now I just keep my fingers crossed that the squash vine borers do not find the plants, at least until I am entirely fed up with squash.

[Ottawa]

I am a little baffled at my zucchinis as well. This is my first try at it. I see a bunch of flower buds but none are opening. They have been there for about a week or 2 now.

indignation, and 50 percent envy."

[nina]

Stagger the planting so that when the male blossoms appear on the older plants, the newer ones will have female blossoms?

[Maryc]

I cut the Zucchini longways and make Zucchini Lasagna. THe zucchini i

in place of the Lasagna noodles. I also sliced my pattypan and pu breading on them and deep fried them they were nice and crispy. I als made fake fried potatoes with the patypan and it was pretty good too.

Just a few ideas!! :)

The Cook Wrote:

-- Maryc

[David]

I tried growing a couple of variety of Japanese kabocha this year. They started out great, had maybe a dozen or so small squash on 8 plants. Then they got hit by powdery mildew. I fought that for a couple weeks and thought I had the upperhand when we got five straight days of heavy rain. By the next weekend the plants were all dead. Having never grown any squash other than zukes and crook necks, I'm not sure what I could have done. Is powdery mildew a common problem for winter squash? Any other suggestions for next season?

Thanks, David

[GA Pinhead]

Sliced thick, marinate in olive oil and seasonings for a bit, and grill or saute lightly in cast iron. MMMM!

John!

The Cook wrote: