Zucchinis—Oh my!
It is the end of summer, the time for gardeners to meditate on one of life’s most perplexing questions—what do I do with all these zucchinis?
It seems miraculous that one seed planted in the spring can produce a gazillion vegetables. Seed companies create this quandary when they put a dozen zucchini seeds in a pack. “If I have a dozen, I guess I should plant a dozen.” Or so a beginner logic goes. Experienced gardeners plant one seed with trepidation knowing those oblong green fruits will just keep coming.
There are several theories about what to with zucchinis. Actually, there are 75,200,000 recipes and comments appearing on the internet. But, they fit into the general categories of small, big and other.
Those cooks who prefer a small zucchini for a salad or stir fry are best served by an electronic monitoring device in the garden. A such that one sees in the morning at only three inches long can easily weigh 74 pounds by evening. To pick or not to pick, that is the question.
The “other” category encompasses the vast limits of the human imagination. Zuchs are perfectly suited to experimentation—rare they are not. Zucchini bread, almond stuffed zucchinis, chips, fritters, quiches—your own heirloom recipe is waiting.
The “large” category is the realm of extreme vegetable enthusiasts who hopefully own a forklift. These gardeners have their eyes on the prize, which is the state fair blue ribbon for the largest zucchini. Ponder that thought for a moment…the grower of Utah’s largest zucchini. Can one seek a greater accolade in life? It is definitely worthy of an obituary notice. But before worrying about whether zucchinis exist in the hereafter, enjoy them in the here and now. Their taste is divine. God must love them since They made so many of them.
