We went through almost a month of no substantial rain and I was having to water the garden every day. No matter how much I watered (and I wasn’t watering enough), it’s just not the same as a good, drenching rain. Since late last week, we’ve had rain almost every day. The garden has turned into a jungle! The weeds are growing. The tomatoes are growing. Everything is growing . . hopefully, the snakes are not growing but I know they’re in there.
Every day I get this bucket full, except the days I pick green beans and then I get this bucket full of green beans and dump it and then fill it up with tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and yellow squash.
See that zucchini in the front. It was normal size one day but I couldn’t reach it without walking through the zucchini, which have gotten huge and have prickly leaves. I had on shorts and flip flops . . I know . . I said I wasn’t going to do that after seeing the snake, but I did. But, I wasn’t going to wade through that zucchini jungle with flip flops. The next day, I forgot to look for it and the next day . . it was huge! It may be too big to use or I may be able to remove the seeds, slice it and dry it to make zucchini chips.
Vince told me that he only wants tomato/cucumber/white bread sandwiches for lunch. I said “Forever?” and he said “No, just during tomato season!” So, planning lunches around here is easy . . til Vince gets tired of tomato/cucumber/white bread sandwiches! Wonder if he likes them enough to have them for dinner too? 🙂
Julie says
Vince lunch sounds great – but if it were me, I’d be having BLT’s everyday with those fresh tomatoes and homemade bread. Your veggies look great, you are so lucky to be able to have your own garden. I have to rely on the local market.
Judy D says
Oh yeah, Julie, BLT everyday! I would turn that big zuke into bread…… The veggies are awesome and I am truly jealous!
I just got home from the produce market where I am finding it super hard to buy tomatoes, zukes and beans. Come on garden, do your thing……you need to be like Judy L’s garden. 🙂
Marky says
Another good use for a zucchini that size is to shred it and make a zucchini pancake. I don’t know why they call it a pancake…it seems more like a quiche to me, but I love it whatever you call it!
Edna says
I have a great recipe for that Zucchini…. Its a Chocolate Loaf! Mmmm good. Let me know if you’d like the recipe. I’d be happy to share it.
I’ve also cut one lengthwise, hollowed out the seeds and stuffed with a hamburger concoction, then roasted in oven.
Your garden seems wonderful! I’d eat a toasted tomato sandwich every day too if I had the tomatoes growing to use.
Edna
Sandy Gail (Sandra Neel Hutchins) says
Wonderful, bountiful garden you have there. You truly have the fruits of your labor.
Karen Langseth says
Your produce looks wonderful….we are still a couple of weeks away on ours. A longer vegetable growing season is the only reason I would move farher south!!
Karen Langseth says
PS…you could shred that zuchinni and feed it to the chickens, they wont care how big it is!!
Sibyl says
Judy your bounty looks wonderful. I was telling my husband the other day no amount of watering your yard works as well as a good soaking rain. It is like the water is different. We do not have a garden or such, but just our grass looks so much better when it has been rained upon instead of us watering it.
Sharie - Moss Bluff says
Slice the Zucchini in 1/8 inch slices or so. Beat eggs and milk together, drowned Zucchini, roll in Panko flakes and fry. I sure wish I had some right now.
Pat says
I love fresh tomato sandwiches but never tried putting cucumber on them, too. I’ll try that soon. Your veggies look SO nice!
Elaine Adair says
Those zuchinni are amazing, aren’t they? Around here, we leave our auto windows and doors unlocked – friendly-like. That is, until zuchinni are in season. Then we lock everything so kindly neighbors CANNOT give us mre zuchinni! 8-)))
Chris in South Jersey says
Heaven is a South Jersey beefsteak tomato right off the vine and sliced…forget slicing. Just give me the ‘mater and the salt shaker and I’m a happy camper.
Gina E says
I envy your harvest. Our tomatoes have a small case of blight. It’s too early for tomatoes in IL so I hope they survive the blight to bear fruit. Our cukes are flowering but no cucumbers yet. We have beans though! 🙂
Julie says
Rain just seems to make things grow so much better, doesn’t it? That is funny how your zucchini grew so fast!! A biggie!
Beth says
My mother did the same thing. Make zucchini bread. It doesn’t matter if the inside is a little pithy, and it tastes wonderful!
Amy says
Do you (or anyone else) grate & freeze zucchini? I am going to assume in 2 cup amounts?
A friend gave me some of her frozen zucchini that she assured me was frozen in 2 cup amounts – she gave me 3 bags.
By the time I wrung out all of the water, I had “about” 2 cups from the 3 bags!
Does that sound right?
My spicy zucchini bread worked out, but I had to buy fresh zucchinis to make the chocolate zucchini bread.
Kris S says
What a beautiful bounty! I use the larger zucchini to make relish. My family won’t eat storebought relish now.
Enjoy your produce.
Nancy says
My cousin told me that she will take a huge zucchini like that, slice it in half long way, dig out the seeds, and stuff it like you would stuffed peppers. She said it is very good…. I’ve never tried it but I’m sure it is.
Of course, there is always the ‘shred it up for bread’ to fall back on too LOL
Hugs!
Sarah says
I use my zucchini that get to big to make bread. I shred it and freeze it, usally it’s about 2 cups more or less. My four year old loves to eat zucchine bread, it’s nice to have in January when it’s cold out.
Julie Kaye says
I always use the giant zuchinni to make spicy zuchinni pickle spears. Another item to add jalapenos to. Spear them up and can as you would a regular pickle. Just add cloves of garlic and a large, whole, fresh jalapeno and process.
grace thorne says
my mom has a terrific recipe for zuke relish, it’s soo delish and she just loves it, eats it on everything! we are waiting patiently for our farm stand to open, we have gotten peas and early greens but waiting so eagerly for green beans, cukes and tomatoes, summer squash, fresh bunches of basil, etc….sooooon, i hope
Connie says
I thought of you in Weight Watchers tonight and your big ol’ zucchini. There was a recipe that used it shredded as the crust for pizza. I didn’t write it down, but you shred, salt and let drain, mix with egg and low fat cheese, press in a pan and bake, then top with toppings and back some more. Oh, and my daddy used to grow those monsters. I miss him and his garden!