The Urban Farmer's Almanac

We have a history of neglecting the fruits of our garden, and here is another instance. We grew a bunch of little delicata squashes last year, which were a bit of a pain to use because they were kind of petite. So down into the basement they went. We’re trying to pinch pennies these days, so in scouring the food storage, Alicia found them and decided it was time to make some risotto. They had changed colors from white with green seams to a golden yellow, almost like little pumpkins. Those things were over a year old, and still going strong… talk about staying power.

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We mentioned a post or two back that our yellow crookneck squash plants have hit their stride (as opposed to everything else in the garden…). The other day Alicia made squash muffins, squash quickbread, and for dinner, stuffed squash. I’m starting to feel like Bubba and Forrest Gump, scrubbing the floor with a toothbrush.

Anyway, on the way to the mailbox this morning I decided to see if anything needed picking. And, um…

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In the precarious, cold, wet months when we’re starting seeds, transplanting the seedlings, and hoping the plants take root, a lot of things can happen. This year I find myself with three yellow crookneck squash plants, and two of them are starting to produce pretty heavily. These are yellow squash pretty similar in taste and texture to zucchini, so we have a decent idea of what to do with them, but we’re still scrambling to stay out in front. Alicia made squash quickbread and squash risotto the other night. Last night she wanted to try open-faced squash Parmesan sandwiches, so I got to work.

I sliced the biggest of our crop into 1/8″ planks, and marinated them in some balsamic vinegar, olive oil, garlic, and smoked paprika. After a half hour or so, it was onto the bar-b-que with them, monitored closely so they didn’t get too soggy or overcooked. I made plenty so there are leftovers for lunches.

To finish the sandwich, the squash was placed on grilled sourdough, then topped with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese, and broiled to brown them. Robbie was convinced they were pizza sandwiches and ate it right up, but Hannah decided she was back to being a picky eater and cried about dinner. You can’t win them all, especially where squash is concerned.

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Wow.  We had quite the harvest today.  Dan has been out of town camping the last four days. With him gone I did not have the time to harvest much from the garden each day, so the cucumbers got a little out of control (those guys grow fast!).  In addition much of our long awaited produce has finally reached ripeness – squash, pumpkin, tomatoes, etc.  We haven’t had a ton of yield for most of the summer, which I am sure is related to the things we chose for the garden as much as it is to the terrible summer weather.    Now we are finally enjoying some bounty.  We need one of those Thanksgiving horns for our table or something.  The squash should keep well for a while, the larger tomatoes will be dried in the dehydrator  for “sun” dried tomatoes packed in oil (we just used up last year’s crop this week), but we will need to deal with the other things in the next few days.

Fall Harvest

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We started a bunch of seeds way back in January, getting things going on the kitchen counter, and then moving them to the back porch. They stalled out on the back porch, so we moved them to the portable greenhouse hoping that some warmth would perk things up. You’ll see a photo from 3 weeks ago, and bunch from today, and you can indeed see that despite the miserable weather here in Seattle, the plants are thriving in there. Plus, the lettuce that Hannah and I planted awhile back is ready to start eating… starting with a salad or three from thinning the rows. (Look at how small the lettuce is in the background of the first picture).

A bunch of the plants are in pots made from newspaper (thanks ReadyMade magazine) and ready for the seedling exchange I’m going to in a few weeks. We have tons of tomatoes, peppers, and squash, along with a couple different kinds of cucumbers and some swiss chard; way more than we have room for.

{ 2 posts today because I always get excited when I see we’re being linked from somewhere… thanks to Trudy’s friend Emily for finding this one from Apartment Therapy’s Re-Nest. Onward and upward! }

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