Gardening

More appropriately I should say "leeching from the bounty" because the folks have done all the work and we have simply taken advantage of the harvest. The garden reminds me that I have to lighten up...rain comes when it does, one year has zuccini and one has none...this is my zuccini year!

My parental Master Gardener likes summer squash better so I have been lobbying for a zuccini plant for a couple of years. I am sure anyone who grows vegetables knows that you can't plant just ONE. What would you do with the other 5 plants in the six pack? How long will leftover seed keep? And what about the extra one that the bugs or woodchucks or other pests need?

So it all grows up and the vermin leave it alone and suddenly we could open not just a farm stand but a full zuccini-only organic grocery store.

Mom has been a constant supplier of delicious, moist zuccini bread. Turns out the whole compound is having the stuff for breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack time! It seemed only fair that I take my turn baking. After all, I have whined about the zuccini. And we should share the burden of oven heat in the summer kitchen. Theoretically... but this is a perfect example of what a great baker I am. The recipe I used was exactly the same as Mom used, except I decided mini loaf pans would make it easier to share. So cute! So fun! So yummy!

So RAW.

The recipe said that if you used the small loaf pans the bread would need 30 minutes of baking time, instead of the hour the big pan takes.

So I set aside the raw loaves and started over.

I wanted to be SURE they weren't raw, so I baked the little buggers for the full hour.

Now I could build myself a little wall out of cute little zuccini bricks.

Of course there was enough zuccini to try another batch. I am a bright girl...what else could go wrong? Live and learn, right? Here's my problem...I can't taste test the last loaves. Turns out I can't even look at the fruit of my labors, nevermind taste it.

Maybe I will go look for some tomatoes in the garden. Wait! I don't have to. Fa has made a batch of one of my all time favorites...garden stew! His tomatoes, peppers, onions,celery...most anything harvestable all simmered together. It's the only "stew" I eat.

Good thing I can draw. Being away from the computer can be good. After a little while I pick up the pen or pencil or pastel and get going. I clearly can't make a living as a baker. I am hoping we can all laugh about it and relax while floating a bit in the pool. I will draw another one of these after dark.

Summer is fleeting.