Squash and all things viney update!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day here in Western PA - blue sky, no humidity. Which meant I had to get out there and take care of some of those weeds, pick some squash, do some watering, and check on the general health of the garden. I still have more work to do, but lucky me, today is a repeat of yesterday, so I should be able to get back out there soon, for another full day in the garden.

Here are some squash I picked last week. The large one is another mystery squash. It seems to be a cross between a zucchini and spaghetti squash. It's leaves look like zucchini but it vines, and well, you see the result. It was a volunteer just like the rest of the squash shown in this picture. Once I decide what to do with it, I'll let you know how it turned out.

And here are the zucchini and yellow squash I picked yesterday. I think we'll be eating zucchini all weekend. But I should have a few new zucchini recipes to share with you next week.


Finally, I can see a baby cantaloupe. Hopefully it will start growing fast.


And here is another baby butternut squash. It's brother was munched by a deer, hopefully he will have a better fate and be munched by me! I just love the curl of the vine tendrils.


This one is a Kabocha squash, also known as Japanese pumpkin. It's a winter squash, similar to buttercup squash. It's my first year for this one and I'm excited.

This was another volunteer and another mystery. At first I thought it was going to be an acorn squash but now I think it's too rounded. It looks kind of melon like. Any ideas, anyone ?

And here was a nice surprise. This cucumber was a volunteer, growing in the bean patch. So maybe I will have some cucumbers before the end of August - lol!

The Kohlrabi and The Mystery Squash

Many years ago, my sister Michelle gave me this cookbook for my birthday - "Garden Way's Joy of Gardening Cookbook" by Janet Ballantyne. Then one time when I was moving, I lost it. I knew it at the time and I searched and searched for it but I never did find it. So I had to buy another copy, because this is the most awesome cookbook if you are a vegetable gardener. It has a section for every vegetable you can imagine, with so many different types of recipes. If I am inundated with any one thing, I just go here and get some new ideas. I use it so much in the summertime.

Which brings me to the kohlrabi. I always plant a few kohlrabies because my husband really likes them. Several were ready to be picked last week, so I now have them in the house. A lot of times we will just eat them raw with salt, but I was looking for something different. So I pulled out my cookbook and found several saute recipes. Below is the one I chose to make and it was delicious.

Kohlrabi Basil Saute
from Garden Way's Joy of Gardening Cookbook by Janet Ballantyne

2 Tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 Tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup diced sweet red pepper
4 cups diced kohlrabies

Heat the oil in a large saute pan and add all the ingredients. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until the kohlrabies are tender. Serve at once.

We also ate the mystery squash. To me it is a cross between a white pumpkin and a patty pan squash, and it was edible. I peeled it because the skin was tough, but not really thick. Then I sliced, marinated, and grilled it. I left the seeds in because they didn't seem too big or too many, but I think next time I would take them out.

I love fresh from the garden meals, don't you ?

Help - What is this ?

I am appealing to you for help with identifying this squash like thing. On my garden diagram I have it listed as Patty Pan Squash but it doesn't look like what I think of patty pan squash to be. Maybe because of the color, this is very white and the patty pans I grew in the past were more pale green. Because the shape looks similar to what I think it could be. I am trying to decide if it's ready to be picked and if it can indeed be eaten. I may have to pick one and experiment. Since I have it labeled on my chart I must have bought it this year because the mystery volunteer plants I transplanted from other parts of the garden are labeled as such and are definitely more vining (probably gourds or pumpkins). This plant is more bushy, like a zucchini. Please comment with your thoughts and ideas. I thank you in advance.



I am also posting this picture of flowering onion heads just because I like it. It makes me think of outer space - each round flowering head being an enclosed orb space station where a whole community of people could live.


And here is a picture of those evil deer creatures. In this photo they are far from the house and the little ones are looking deceptively cute. But beware, they have been known to cause much crying, wailing and cursing!