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Gadzukes plant still producing as of 14 October |
I can’t believe it’s mid-October and I’m still picking
zucchini, especially considering the fact that the plants look pretty much like
they’ve been run over several times by a small truck. I thought they’d give up
the ghost weeks ago. The spaghetti
squash, which produced beautifully this year, looked the same –mildewed and
borer-ridden – and turned up their toes in early September (though I still have
several awaiting cooking and quick-made sauces on the porch) and the Black
Knight zucchini, likewise bit the dust in about the first week in September. But the zukes, at least the Gadzukes variety,
takes a lickin’ and keeps on tickin’. Astonishing.
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Last week's Gadzukes zucchini |
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This is what most of the plant looks like, and yet... |
Collapsed in the middle where they originally sprang from
the ground, the vines continued to send out puny looking stems to sprawl along
the paths. Each time I figured they were done for, I’d go out, thinking: It’s
time to rid the garden of these unsightly diseased things and discover that
they’d sent out some new little green shoot, some newly flouncing green leaves
and beneath the leaves, healthy-looking blossoms followed in a week or so, by
healthy, pickable fruits. So, while we haven’t had the proverbial deluge of
zukes that people make such fun of (and which I don’t get – who would wanted lotsa
shredded zucchini in the freezer for winter soups and latke?), we have had a
sufficiency, which is good enough.
Yesterday, I picked a surprisingly healthy zuke about 14
inches long and brought it in to make zucchini latkes for supper. With the
Gadzukes zukes I’d picked last week I made the fabulous summer squash gratin
with salas verde, whose recipe I got from Food 52 (link below) – and of course,
forgot to photo it when it came beautifully bubbling out of the oven. Instead
we dug in. I remembered to photo it the second day when I had it for supper
again. (How I loved leftovers!). The latkes, yes, you guessed it, no photos
there either, but the recipe follows, a great way to end the summer produce and
tender herb season since we’re about to lose all that great basil. But I’m a
believer in making hay while the sun shines – or zuke latkes while the herbs
hold out. Whichever.
That’s one of the great things about gardening – just when
you think you know something, can predict what’s going to happen, you’re brought
up short and reminded that we’re dealing with living things, and living things
can always surprise you. The perfect metaphor for life among human beings as
well.
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Simply sautéed zukes and onions |
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They make a nice side dish with grilled shrimp and avocado |
Zucchini Latkes with Chipotle Sauce
2 medium zucchini, grated
¼ cup grated onion
2 serrano peppers, finely chopped (seeds removed if you
like less heat)
¼ cup finely chopped sweet pepper
1 cup fresh chopped herbs, any you fancy- I usually use
lots of lime basil, lemon basil, cilantro, oregano, parsley, a little dill and
a single sage leaf
1 tblsp Adobo seasoning
freshly ground pepper
1-2 tsp chili powder
½ tsp cumin
1-2 tsp paprika (Spanish, sweet, or smoked paprika are
all nice in this)
1/3 cup flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 large or 2 small eggs
For sauce:
Mix ½ cup mayonnaise with 2-3 finely chopped tinned
chipotles in adobo sauce (along with some of the adobo sauce), a squeeze of
tomato paste from the tube or a teaspoon of tomato paste from a tin, and the
juice of half a lime.
3 tblsp canola or other frying oil.
Chop herbs and peppers and grate the onion then grate
the zucchini last to keep it from getting watery. Mix the vegetables, herbs,
and seasonings together. Add the flour and baking powder with a fork to mix it
well, but quickly so you don’t build up the gluten in the flour. Beat eggs a
little (like for scrambled) then add and mix in so you have something like a
thick, veg-filled batter. Heat oil until shimmering hot in a frying pan. (I use
my grandmother’s old iron skillet). With a dessert spoon or tablespoon,
carefully add a big mound of zucchini batter to the pan, and gently pat it down
into a pancake. Repeat. Fry on medium-high heat until golden brown on one side
and starting to puff, flip over and cook until puffed and golden brown on the
second side. Remove and drain on paper towels.
Serve with a dollop of sauce on top.
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Leftover Squash gratin with salsa verde -SO much better than it looks here! |