Sneak some Zucchini on your Neighbor's porch Night

Well, the day has arrived. The 20 something zucchini plants we planted in my Papaw's garden have started to bear vegetables in what will only be described as later as "The year that we had so many zucchinis we went crazy." So, now I am on the look out for some great squash/zucchini recipes. Also, does anyone had any success canning either?

When reading John Seymore's awesome book The Self Sufficient Life and How to Live it, I chuckled to myself when reading the "how much to plant" chart. A family of 4 should plant 2 zucchini/squash plants and 5 tomato plants. My Papaw plants over fifty tomato plants every year and this year we have over twenty squash plants.

Obviously, my Papaw has never read Seymore's book.

Ha! The good part is we always have a lot to go around. It is nice to be able to give away vegetables and know that you are helping out. Also, we eat like Kings in the summer. Yesterday, I am proud to say---we had not one, but two entire meals where nothing we cooked was bought. The fish N. James caught last week and the vegetables all came from the garden. Even the jam was canned from last year!

Summer is for the grill!

The first summer after I'd given up meat I felt a little left out. Everyone is always grilling hamburgers, steaks, pork chops---I didn't really have much. I would sometimes buy Morning Star or other frozen processed burgers and hot dogs, but they weren't that great. I didn't look forward to eating them. Now, I feel quite the opposite.

Black Bean Burgers, Kidney Bean Burgers, Portabella Burgers, Spicy Chickpea Burgers---oh, my.

There are so many different varities to choose from and make. Really, why settle with the same boring burger every time? Try something new! I'm looking forward to making some carrot and zucchini burgers. I found the recipe here. Also, I've posted it below for those who are interested. If you make some, let me know how they turned out!

Carrot and Zucchini Burgers

1 large onion, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1 1/2 C. grated carrot
1 1/2 C. grated zucchini
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground coriander
2 tbsp. natural peanut butter
2 tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 C. fresh bread crumbs
1 egg
Salt and pepper, to taste
olive oil, as needed

1. Saute onion and garlic in a lightly greased skillet until onion starts to soften, about five minutes.

2. Add carrots and zucchini and saute about 10 mins more, til veggies have softened.

3. Stir in the cumin, coriander, cilantro, and peanut butter (you can also use tahini). Mix. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool 5-10 minutes.

4. Dump veggie mixture in a medium mixing bowl. Add egg and breadcrumbs and mix until well combined. Add more breadcrumbs if needed.

5. Shape four veggie burgers from mixture. They should hold together decently well.

6. Heat a small amount of olive oil in a skillet. Add burgers and cook about five minutes a side, until browned and cooked through.