Recipe Wednesday: ZUCCHINI

This weeks recipes... Ways with Zucchini!! These simple, quick to prepare recipes, are great ways to quickly use up the massive amounts of zucchini that even one plant can produce. Enjoy!

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Zucchini Appetizer Pizza

1 zucchini
1 small can or jar of pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese (shredded or fresh)
Basil- chopped

Cut zucchini into coin size thin pieces and place flat on a cookie sheet.  Place 1 teaspoon of sauce onto top of zucchini slice, sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and then top off with chopped basil.  Put in oven and bake at 350 until zucchini is tender and cheese is melted.

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Grilled Zucchini Coins

1 zucchini
Shredded Cheese (Mozzarella, Italian Blend, Provolone, your favorite)
Olive Oil
Fresh Chopped Herbs or McCormick's Herb Blend (or any favorite herb blend)

Slice Zucchini into 3/8" thick coins. Rub both sides with olive oil and fresh or dried herbs of your choice. I usually clip a sampling of whatever i have growing. Grill on low-medium flame for a few minutes, flip over and sprinkle with cheese. Let cook few more minutes until just tender as they will continue to soften after you take them off the grill. 

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Zucchini Frittata

4 eggs, beaten
1/2 C buttermilk
4 oz can diced gr. chiles (or fresh!!)
1/4 C parsley, chopped
2 C grated Jarlsberg or Monterey Jack
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp tarragon
8 med zucchini, chopped & steamed
1 C seasoned croutons, crushed
1/4 stick butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Combine first 9 ingredients. Mix well. Fold in zucchini. Transfer to 8" square baking pan, greased and dusted w/ half the crushed croutons. Sprinkle w/ remaining croutons and dot w/ butter. Bake 45 min. or until set. Serves 8.

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One Good Bug... Lady Beetles

While there are a lot of bad bugs in the garden, there are also some good one's, and the Lady Beetle is no exception!

Everyone is familiar with one's that look like this:

But...did you know that there are over 450 species found in North America?  Some are good, some are bad (like the Mexican Bean Beetle), some are native and some were introduced from foreign countries.

Around here, there are several varieties you might find in your garden.  Which is great news because many species of Lady Beetles feed on aphids and other soft-bodied pests.

You can attract Lady Beetles by planting pollen and nectar flowers and leaving weeds such as dandelions, wild carrot and yarrow in and around your garden.

And while these may look scary...

...resist the temptation to squash them, they are all different stages of the Lady Beetle life cycle, from newly hatched (1st photo) to a pupal stage (last photo). And they are voracious eaters of pests like aphids!!

Here are some other types of Lady Beetles you might see in your garden...

2-Spotted Lady Beetle

7-Spotted Lady Beetle

10-Spotted Lady Beetle

Spotted Lady Beetle

Community Gardens Rules & Regulations

As a general reference, the following are the Community Gardens Rules & Regulations:

In order to properly manage the gardens in the interest of safety, maintenance and appearance, the following rules and regulations are to be observed:

1.   Plots will be available for planting by April 15, (weather permitting). 

2.   Gardeners are responsible to weed and properly manage their gardens.  Tall crops should be planted only where they will not shade neighboring plots, and vining plants should be contained within the plot borders.

3.   Herbicides are not permitted; fertilizers manufactured from municipal sludge are also prohibited.  If insecticides or fungicides are used, a 2-foot unplanted border must be maintained within the plot.  Environmentally safe insecticides and fungicides are preferred.

4.   Shanties and lean-to shelters or shade stands of any kind are not permitted.  Lockers that are no larger than 2 feet high, 2 feet wide and 6 feet long are permitted.

5.   Water will be available at rain barrels and a spigot at the Horn Farmhouse.  Only hand watering, using cans or buckets, will be permitted.  Watering containers must be covered or turned upside down after use; no standing water is permitted in the garden plot areas.  In the event of drought conditions, the Center reserves the right to turn off the water.

6.   Temporary fencing of plots is encouraged.  Wood (not metal) should be used to support border fencing, and to stake plants.

7.   Trash and litter are to be cleaned from plots, adjacent pathways and fences.  Take trash and litter with you and dispose of them appropriately.

8.   Dogs and loud music are prohibited from the garden plot area.

9.   On or before October 31, gardeners must remove all non-biodegradable material (i.e., stakes, fence, wire, lumber) and any perennials from the garden.  The five stakes placed by the Center should remain.  Failure to comply may result in loss of future garden plot rental opportunity.

10.   If for any reason a plot must be abandoned the gardener should notify the Horn Farm Center.  If a plot becomes unkempt, the gardener will be given one week’s notice to clean it up before it is reassigned or tilled in.

Mexican Bean Beetles

Mexican Bean Beetle

If you are growing beans, you have most likely already spotted these 1/4" long, yellowish brown beetles.

Not sure if you have them, but you've noticed that the leaves of your beans look skeletonized and lacy. You may not have noticed these beetles because they prefer to feed from the underside of leaves.

Flip over the leaves and you will most likely find any of the following:

The above photo shows the many stages in the lifespan of a Mexican Bean Beetle, from eggs to larvae to adult beetle.

These beetles overwinter and females begin laying eggs in the spring. Eggs will hatch in about 5-14 days and the larvae feed, grow and pupate for about 2-4 weeks.  They can produce 1-3 generations per year.

Last year I experienced both a a strong early summer and late summer generation on my green beans.

Inspect your beans daily, beetles easily pick off or will drop to the ground if disturbed. Reducing populations by smashing all stages from eggs to beetles are your best defense.

A few minutes each day inspecting your plants are all it takes to manage these beetles.

Currently, I have found many, many clutches of eggs on the undersides of my bean leaves and several larvae.   I was happy to find a few Spined Soldier Beetles also on my beans which are natural predators of the the Mexican Bean Beetle.

Spined Soldier Bug

Spined Soldier Bugs also prey on caterpillars, grubs, tent caterpillars, fall armyworms, and sawfly larvae. So don't be scared of this little guy, he is a welcome addition to the garden.

Since these beetles overwinter, our best line of defense as a community garden is to reduce their numbers by destroying them in their early stages as eggs and larvae and also destroying any adult beetles as they come along.

Recipe Wednesday: Beet Rosti with Rosemary

This year I decided to grow Choggia beets, even though I don't like beets much. Friends were kind to share a lot of ideas for cooking them... Here is one recipe from a friend we tried out last night... and I loved it!!

Beet Rosti With Rosemary
(a Mark Bittman Recipe)
Yield 4 servings

Time 30 minutes

Beet Rosti

Some Notes:
Keep the heat moderate — cooking too quickly will burn the sugary outside of the pancake while leaving the inside raw. And don’t forget to wear an apron when you're grating the beets. (note: I shredded them using my food processor, less mess for sure)

Ingredients
2 pounds beets (3 very large or 4 to 6 medium)
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup flour (just a binder - I'm sure you can use gluten-free flour or rice flour, etc.)
2 tablespoons butter
Minced parsley or a few rosemary leaves for garnish

shredded Choggia beets

Preparation:

1. Trim beets, and peel them as you would potatoes; grate them in food processor or by hand. Begin preheating 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat.

2. Toss grated beets in bowl with rosemary, salt and pepper. Add about half the flour; toss well, add rest of flour, and toss again.

3. Put butter in skillet; heat until it begins to turn nut-brown. Scrape beet mixture into skillet, and press with spatula to form a round. With medium to medium-high heat -- the pancake should gently sizzle -- cook, shaking pan occasionally, until bottom of cake is nicely crisp, 8 to 10 minutes.

Slide cake onto a plate, top with another plate, invert the two plates, and return cake to pan. Keep cooking, adjusting heat if necessary, until other side is browned, another 10 minutes or so.

Garnish, cut into wedges, and serve hot or at room temperature.

Colorado Potato Beetle

Colorado Potato Beetle

If you are growing potatoes this season, you will most definitely see this beetle. They average about 1/3" long and are a yellowish color with black stripes.

The adults (beetles) and larvae (photo below) eat the leaves of potato plants as well as tomatoes, eggplants and other related plants, including petunias.

Their voracious feeding can kill small plants and will reduce the yield of mature plants.

Colorado Potato Beetle larvae

Over several months time a female can lay 1,000 eggs, which hatch in 4-9 days.  For 2-3 weeks the larvae will feed and then drop to the ground where they will pupate in the soil, where it emerges as an adult beetle in about 5-10 days.

On a tour of the gardens last week, the Community Gardens Committee, found the larvae in many gardens.

If you have seen these on your plants your best line of defense for your garden as well as the rest of the community is to smash them.

Inspect the undersides of your leaves for the eggs and smash them as well, they look like this:

Colorado Potato Beetle Eggs

If you get a bit squeamish squashing them, lay a dropcloth beneath your plants and shake or knock the larvae or beetles onto it, then you can dump them into some soapy water.

With about 10 minutes of attention, these beetles can easily be managed without the use of chemicals, which will only push them over to another garden.

Since these beetles overwinter, our best line of defense as a community garden is to reduce their numbers by destroying them in their early stages as eggs and larvae and also destroying any adult beetles as they come along.

Recipe Wednesday: Pea & Mint Soup

Welcome to our first Recipe Wednesday!  Each week we will feature new recipes for garden veggies currently being harvested! Happy Gardening & Harvesting!

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PEA & MINT SOUP

• 1 T olive oil
• 1 small leek, chopped
• 1 T fennel seeds, roasted and ground (opt)
• 4 C water
• 1 C milk (or cream, or soymilk/ricemilk in our family)
• About 1 lb fresh peas, boiled
• A handful of fresh mint, chopped (about 1 cup)
• Salt
• Fresh ground pepper
• For garnish: cream, yogurt, parsley, mint sprigs, croutons

Heat olive oil in stock pot; add leek and saute until transparent. Add fennel powder and continue to saute until fragrant and leek is golden. Stir in water, mint and peas. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Stir in milk and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Season w/ salt & pepper. Allow to cool slightly. Puree soup in blender or food processor (carefully!!!) until very smooth. Return to pot if reheating is needed. Serve hot w/ garnish of choice. Tasty!

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