Tuesday, June 8, 2010

let the summer squash season begin

We ate the first of our summer squash Sunday evening--chunked, sauteed in a little butter, then steamed with some water and the lid on. Season with salt and pepper and some more butter. I am on the lookout for new uses for zucchini this season. Our all-time favorite zucchini recipe (well, at least for Rainer and me) is zucchini soup. Zucchini bread is a close second. Please feel free to link to your favorite zucchini recipes (and for yellow summer squash too--we have a lot of that).
Dinner also included pasta with zucchini strands (based on this recipe). Oh, and those tomatoes? Not ours (our tomatoes aren't in yet)--they're from a box of Trader Joe's tomatoes that needed to be finished. Ken has planted us a gorgeous vegetable garden once again. Soon I will show you. Meanwhile, I am so excited to ponder an entire summer of eating very very "locally."

10 comments:

nicole said...

i am pondering the same thought...i aimed for May but fell way short....living in California helps with the eating local business, doesn't it?

Unknown said...

I am enjoying watching my garden grow and am so excited! I cant wait to be able to harvest some "local" produce as well. My squash is struggling a bit this year but the tomatoes are going nuts. I am dreaming of a chilled caprese salad on a hot summers day. Yum!

Rachael said...

Yippie for the soup - my friends and I did it in the summer too. We added other vegies at times- some cauliflower works well. X

Rain said...

My all time favorite way to eat summer squash (zucs and yellow) is to marinate in olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper, thyme and garlic. Then grill. I could eat plate after plate of it.
We just started our c.s.a. share this week and I am so happy to have an abundance of veggies again.

~Heather said...

Zuke brownies - don't forget the frosting! They disappear in NO time. And it's great to shred then freeze the zuke to make these in the cooler months of the year as well.
http://this-inspired-life.blogspot.com/2008/08/chocolate-zucchini-brownies.html

marné said...

I love grilled zucchini. Thick, diagonal slices tossed with olive oil and salt are delicious. Sometimes, for a treat, I'll cut lengthwise ribbons (with a cheese slicer or vegetable peeler), toss with oil, grill, and then put a bit of goat cheese on one end, roll it up and eat! So good!
I've got to get some stuff planted this weekend! Our last frost date is Memorial Day, so I'm behind schedule!

Andrea said...

Wow! Squash already. We've only had radishes and spinach and herbs from our garden so far (but that's already a huge improvement over last year's failed crops!) I like zuccini tacos and zucchini and carrot pancakes (I think that one was from Family Fun magazine, but it made my kids cry). Also the zucchini omelets from Apples for Jam. Enjoy your season's bounty!

stacief said...

We loved zuc chips last year. I used panko instead of breadcrumbs. Can't wait for this years crop!

http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Baked-Zucchini-Chips-310101

Cadi said...

Yum.

Amy said...

Our CSA here in Ohio has started too, and I was blanching some peas the kids and I shelled earlier. Yum! Eating locally feels so good...especially since we couldn't swing more than potted herbs in our backyard this year.

My favorite squash recipe is "Baked Couscous with Summer Squash and Herbs" from an old Cooking Light a few years ago. So yummy! I've used fresh and dried herbs, and even left some out and it is still really good. Here is a link:
http://www.tastebook.com/recipes/348143-Baked-Couscous-with-Summer-Squash-and-Herbs