Squash "Pasta" Ribbons with Pesto

Here's a low calorie option and a creative way to use up your summer squash or zucchini. It's that time now where the plants are bursting with fruit. So much so that you can't find enough ways to eat it. Tired of ratatouille and grilled veggies?


Scrumptious and satisfying. The ribbons of squash replace pasta and offer more fiber, vitamens and low in calories.


With the heat wave, the squash increase in size very rapidly. These two were hiding under the leaves. In general, these are a tad too large for good eating. The smaller you pick your squash, the more tender and sweet they are. Squashes that are 1.5" in diameter are perfect.



Using a carrot peeler, I gently sliced the ribbons of squash. Blanch in boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Top with pesto or your favorite marinara.

Bon Appetit!

7.24.10

7.13.10

On Tuesday, the tomatoes began to ripen.

The tomato plants are clearly over 6' tall. They are getting taller than the stakes.

This is one of the summer squash plants. It's the most healthy one and it's extremely big! It's maybe 4'-5' now and it's crushing everything in its path.

The jalepenos were the first to emerge and there are so many of them.

These must be the poblano peppers! They are just beginning to show their shape.


The bell peppers just began emerging. They are oh so cute.

Harvests

6.30.10






7.2.10


7.5.10





Here's the current tally:

• 62 pickling cucumbers
• 11 pattypan squashes
• 16 fairytale eggplants
• 30 summer squashes
• 9 handfuls of pole beans

I've cut the kale out entirely to make room for my eggplant. Also, they were getting eaten by some pests which I didn't want to infest the rest of my crops. I've also cut the pole beans back. They were getting so tall that it was shading some of my other plants. Next year, I will make a tall teepee for them.

6.28.10 Harvest

Hi all! We just came back from New Orleans! It was a real blast, but I'm happy to be home. While we were there we tasted all the delights of Nola and I look forward to making some of my very own gumbo and seafood boil.


Although I harvested as much as I could before we left, we still came home to all this! None of these cucumbers or squashes were there before we left, so I was surprised to see many of them. I pickled the smaller of the cucumbers and made salad with the larger ones which had gotten a bit more tough.


The zinnias are really blooming now and I'm seeing more and more patty pan squashes. I pick the squash even if they are on the small side because it's supposed to encourage the growth of more squash. They taste better when they are small too.


This squash looks like one of those trolls from the 80s.

The raised bed is overflowing. I cut my tomato plants back a lot! They are really tall too and I see lots of tomatos developing. The pepper plants are also starting to develop more. The cucumber vines have climbed over and through my neighbors fence. I hope I will still be able to harvest them.

6.22.10

Today there was lots in the garden to harvest!


The tomato plants are surprisingly tall and beginnin to fall over. They are taller than the supports, so they will be needing some extra tall stakes.


Basil and I were checking out the summer squash plants.


Here's the raw harvest. I harvested the summer squash while it was still small (which is recommended) for several reasons. They taste better and will encourage growth of new squashes.


Washed and trimmed. I cooked the pole beans and packed them up for lunch. I used the squash and eggplant in a pasta dish. Then I made pickles with the little cucumbers.

6.18.10

6.14.10

Mr. Toad paid me a visit

Someone paid me a surprise visit yesterday. As I was checking on the cucumbers, I looked over and here is this toad just sittin' pretty on my voilas and squash. I hope he's eating the pests that have been making holes in my zinnias.


If frogs say ribbit, what do toads say?


Of all the patty pan squash I started from seed, only a few germinated successfully for some reason. This is the 'green apple'. It looks so cute!


Here's the bed it's in. I tied some string from the garden bed to my neighbor's fence. I hope they don't mind! Shhhh! There are lots of little cucumbers, so I had to make sure they were fully supported. I can't wait to eat my first cucumber this season.


'Bright Lights' swiss chard. Sadly, none of the reds or pinks germinated...the yellows are really prolific. It seems like that's all I get. Some of the leaves were burned and I noticed birds made a nest nearby and their poop were burning my swiss chard, so I transplanted them elsewhere. They look a little sad right now, but I hope they come back.

The summer squash flowers are very prominant now.

2nd Week of June, 2010

It's been a cool week with temperatures around 59F. That made it really easy for me to go around and do some garden maintenance. Everything is growing in beautifully now. Once the zinnias bloom the bed will look so colorful.



Raised bed - Things are really taking off. The tomatoes have flowers, but I haven't seen any fruit set yet. There are lots of pole beans which are delicious. The pickling cucumber vines are really taking off and could use a few more supports.


Upclose with one pickling cuc.


There are lots of little cucs. They are going to make great pickles!

My herb garden on the side of the house is looking so beautiful with the mix of salad greens, chamomile with their daisy-like flowers and the flirty red nasturtiums. As I have been harvesting the salad, I have been tucking in some basil I started from seed. I'm going to let everything go to seed this year, so it comes back next year.

The squash bed is overflowing with squash bushes. There are grape tomato and hollyhock seedlings that have emerged which I'll transplant over to the right of the squash bed. Along the edge, I tucked in a giant apricot cutting zinnia to give the area some color later in the summer.


Each plant has lots of little summer squash. They are so profilic!


In the flower garden, the asiatic lilies, day lilies and field lilies are blooming. So are the Achilles and the Phlox look like they are beginning to develop their flower heads.

Squash and Pole Beans

The south bed with my extra squash and tomato plants are doing really well. The lavender is blooming and attracting some big bees.


I took a closer look and each summer squash plant has about 3-4 baby squash forming. I'm going to have a lot of squash pretty soon. I can't wait. I'm so happy that each plant has squash forming. I have to start looking up some new recipes, so that I'm ready for them.


Pole beans. For the first time, I noticed we had quite a few filet pole beans. The more I pick, the more it will produce. Whatever I can't eat, I will freeze for the future.

In other news, the fairytale eggplant are forming clusters of flowers. I hope this means clusters of eggplant soon. I've harvested a lot of lettuce, parsley, and dill. I can't wait to have tomato soup with dill.