Shredded Squash and Potato Soup

I love to find more ways to preserve my summer squash and more ways to put that preserved goodness to use.  Some of my family love pureed squash soup with sausage, but others balk.  Last fall, I froze quite a bit of shredded zucchini for breadmaking.  However, I tried some of the shredded squash in conjunction with shredded potato, which lent a sweet, starchy flavor to my soup.  All other elements equal, the addition of a couple of potatoes altered the flavor in a delicious way.  Further, my pickiest eater decided that she preferred the shredded zucchini in her soup.  Hmm!

If you want to try another approach, consider using potatoe flakes in a squash soup to add both flavor and thickness.  If you have a small chub of sausage available, it complements squash perfectly.  A little cheese is another great tweak!

Simple Zucchini and Squash Dishes: Egg Scramble

Do you need a simple use for that abundance of zucchini or summer squash?  I was amazed at how well my children responded to a simple scrambled egg dish.  Lightly fry your dices squash and some diced onion, in a tad of olive oil or butter, then add your scrambled eggs to the pan.  Stir occasionally, and continue to cook over medium, to medium-high, heat until the eggs are done.  You can melt some shredded cheese over the top, if you like.  Serve with salsa, ketchup, or whatever other condiments you normally use with eggs, or just serve as they are!  They pass the kid test in my house!

It begins...the first squash of the season harvested!

It always seems so insignificant in terms of quantity, but so thrilling in terms of importance...the first small zucchini or summer squash of the season!  You, like me, may look and wonder if you'll get any better production.  However, a burst of bright squash blossoms, and the hum of busy bees assure you that all is well.  Not only that, but a surprise giant squash reminds you of how easily the little stinkers hide! 

Do you need a nice, simple way to use that first zucchini?  Dice it up, mix a couple of eggs, with a tablespoon of water per egg mixed in, add the squash pieces, and fry up in a lightly buttered pan, omelet style!  Season, as you wish.  Melt some cheese into the center!  Voila!  Good food, simple to make, pleasing to eat.  My kids didn't even balk!

Germination for Summer Squash and Zucchini Seeds

My round zucchini plants are beginning to emerge, and while many websites give a general listing of germination times for squash, and other vegetable seeds, it's helpful to know that this varies from one variety to the next. 

My first plant emerged yesterday, 10 days from planting, and many more have come up today.  Planting old seeds, packaged for a previous year, can affect your results, as can planting in the wrong temperatures.  I've learned some of these lessons the hard way, having planted much too early, with no results from certain seeds.  I generally don't get good results with my summer squash seeds germinating, if I plant before our daily high temperatures are in the upper 70's/low 80's. 

My best suggestion for novice gardeners is to compare package directions to current temperatures.  Secondly, if you have a cooperative extension in your town, stop in and ask questions.  Ask local gardeners.  Check yahoo groups, for example, to find out if there is a group dedicated to gardening in your locality.  Ask questions at local plant and landscaping stores.  Don't count on knowledgeable information at big box retailers' garden departments, but in smaller nurseries, there may be some valuable insight. 

The first emergence of little zucchini plants is the biggest encouragement of the season, as it tells me everything is on track, and that a bountiful harvest (and lower grocery bill) are just around the bend!

Planting Round Zucchini

I just put my summer squash seeds in, and I have 3 particular round zucchini varieties to recommend, based on the past 2 years' planting

8 Ball Zucchini has a slightly nutty flavor and is crisp and crunchy, similar in texture to the traditional green zucchini varieties.  Whereas a long zucchini gets huge, when you don't see it in time, the 8 ball approaches the size of a small pumpkin, and while it may not be quite as edible at that point, it will go great in  your fall decor! 









The French zucchini, Ronde de Nice is a light green, round zucchini variety, with a slightly sweet flavor, very tender and tasty.  This is a great option if you don't care for the taste of zucchini as much, and if you still want to include summer squash varieties in your planting.











Tondo Scuro De Piascenza is a dark green, round zucchini variety, similar to the 8 ball.  However, Tondo Scuro De Piascenza is an heirloom variety, whereas 8 Ball zucchini is a hybrid. 



Planting at the end of May, I expect to have summer squash production by mid to late July, as zucchinis and other summer squash take 45 to 55 days before the first harvest.  Results of this planting to come!  If you want to try these varieties, you still have plenty of time to get them in!

We Did It! We Finished All Of Our Frozen Summer Squash Puree!

If you've ever faced that mountain of zucchini, and assorted other summer squash, in the heat of summer, you know the frustration of trying to use it, or lose it.  Some folks are tremendously talented at canning, but I'm just barely getting the hang of it, so I haven't tried canning zucchini yet.  However, my refined process for processing summer squash to freeze has finally produced great results! 

The easy preservation method is to chop, boil in water, and freeze the soup base.  The more involved method involves roasting the squash on the grill, using the remnant coals from a barbecue to bake the squash.  Drain the liquid, and reserve as stock (freeze).  Puree the squash, measure into freezer bags, label, and freeze. 

The slightly sweet squash flavor is great for breads and pies, used just as pumpkin would be.  It's also very good with sausage or pork, in a soup.  The kids almost all eat without complaint...I still have one anti-zucchini hold out, but I'm working on it.  The puree can also work into pasta sauces, and casseroles.  Get creative, but don't toss that excess summer squash!  Make it a winter stockpile par excellence!

Easy Squash Preparation

If you are overrun with zucchini or summer squash during your growing season, this is the approach we used last year for preparing and freezing large quantities.

During the summer, we barbecue almost every weekend.  Even if it's just hot dogs, we barbecue.  When zucchini starts to pile up, we use our barbecue days as an opportunity to process.  Wash your squash, and wrap in foil.  After the barbecue is done, marshmallows and all, put the wrapped squash on the grill, close it, and leave it.  The coals cook the squash!

Later, at my leisure, I collect the squash, bring it in, and process.  I've saved my kitchen from having to heat up.  As I drain the liquids from the squash, I reserve it, strain, and store in a freezer ziploc, labeled by date and contents, as squash stock.  Meanwhile, the squash is placed in the blender, pureed, measured, and likewise stored in freezer bags, labeled by date, quantity, and content.  The puree is great for pies, breads, soups, and casseroles.  The stock can go into soups.  My freezer keeps me supplied with wonderful winter ingredients, thanks to my summer barbecue season, and amazing squash production.