Too much of a good thing

Tomorrow we’ll do a run to pick up this week’s Community Supported Agriculture [CSA] share. As we move closer to autumn, the variety of vegetables is increasing. This week our share includes:

• ASIAN GREENS
• BROCCOLI
• CUCUMBERS
• GREEN BEANS
• GREEN PEPPER
• PURPLE KOHLRABI
• RAINBOW CHARD
• SUMMER SQUASH
• SUNFLOWER MICROGREENS

farmers markets: alternatives to CSAs

Photo by J. Harrington

At least this week, there’s no zucchini. The Better Half did a valiant job with last week’s zucchini fritters recipe, but, unfortunately from my perspective, it still tasted like, and had the texture of, zucchini. Lest you think I’m unnaturally biased against zucchini, I’m going to share part of a story from a recent New England Today newsletter.

“It’s a well-burnished chestnut: Don’t leave your car doors unlocked in July lest your neighbor fill the back seat with fresh-picked zucchini. These prolific gourds are the overachievers of the summer garden, and countless recipe columns have been devoted to their use in savory tarts, casseroles, tarts, cakes, and soups....” 

If we’re lucky, it may be that the worst of this year’s zucchini season, and deer fly season, are behind us. Unfortunately, that still leaves US in the midst of election season. I’m not sure how we ended up with the election dates that we have, but I’m tired of election commercials spoiling the summer and autumn seasons, and election results, too often, Thanksgiving. I propose that we move the general election to mid-March. Mud season seems all too appropriate. Then we could move the primaries to the first week in February, allowing for Valentine’s week to heal hurt feelings. There’s not a lot of value during late winter and early spring that electioneering and commercials can spoil, and the revised schedule would leave summers free for rest and relaxation, as they should be. What'ta ya think?

Meanwhile, if you haven’t already voted early, remember, next Tuesday is primary day. As I saw on the internets this morning: #RoeRoeRoeYourVotes #VoteBlueNoMatterWho.

Attack of the squash people

by

Marge Piercy

And thus the people every year

in the valley of humid July

did sacrifice themselves

to the long green phallic god

and eat and eat and eat.

They’re coming, they’re on us,

the long striped gourds, the silky

babies, the hairy adolescents,

the lumpy vast adults

like the trunks of green elephants.

Recite fifty zucchini recipes!

Zucchini tempura; creamed soup;

sauté with olive oil and cumin,

tomatoes, onion; frittata;

casserole of lamb; baked

topped with cheese; marinated;

stuffed; stewed; driven

through the heart like a stake.

Get rid of old friends: they too

have gardens and full trunks.

Look for newcomers: befriend

them in the post office, unload

on them and run. Stop tourists

in the street. Take truckloads

to Boston. Give to your Red Cross.

Beg on the highway: please

take my zucchini, I have a crippled

mother at home with heartburn.

Sneak out before dawn to drop

them in other people’s gardens,

in baby buggies at church doors.

Shot, smuggling zucchini into

mailboxes, a federal offense.

With a suave reptilian glitter

you bask among your raspy

fronds sudden and huge as

alligators. You give and give

too much, like summer days

limp with heat, thunderstorms

bursting their bags on our heads,

as we salt and freeze and pickle

for the too little to come.

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