Zucchini mania

Aren't summer storms the best? All morning the heat builds, the hot sun drying the laundry on the line in twenty minutes while the only clouds visible are on a distant horizon. Rumbles of thunder give you a warning, the beginning of a countdown with enough time to bring in the steaming clothes and fold them before the storm is suddenly overhead.

This afternoon I was quietly sitting in the kitchen at precisely that moment, watching the bread in the oven and indulging in recipe-surfing on the internet, when a flash of lighting lit up the kitchen. It was that kind of lightning that seems to charge the atmosphere and sends your heart racing. Almost simultaneously, the house shook with a bone-rattling crash of thunder. Then a moment later, a downpour opened over the house, which I braved in order to walk outside and make sure that our roof or any nearby trees were not on fire. Luckily, all was in order and before long the storm had passed, leaving behind a few gentle drips and sun shining on the warm, damp earth.

The storm as it moved north

All this rain has been heaven for the garden, causing the butternut squash to take off and the long awaited watermelons to finally start swelling.

Butternut triplets


The hollyhocks may have faded, but the bright sunflowers and delicate tobacco flowers are putting on quite the show

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We've been spending quite a lot of time in the kitchen as the abundance from the garden inspires us to try new and creative recipes. Some WINNERS:

Zucchini-Lime Soup -- recipe from Kim

To a base of chicken or vegetable stock, add one caramelized onion and a half cup or so of roasted green chilies (more or less depending on how hot you like it). Let this simmer for half and hour while you chop two medium zucchini into small cubes and saute lightly. Cut corn tortillas into strips and toast in the broiler with oil and salt. Add the zucchini to the soup (and an optional drained can of corn), cook another few minutes then serve the soup with lots of grated cheddar cheese, crispy tortilla strips, and at least one lime cut into quarters to squeeze into each bowl. (Yes, it's a lot of lime, but it's fabulous, trust me.)

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Chocolate Chip Zucchini Cookies

This recipe is from Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, one of my favorite books. Check out the recipe from her website. These cookies turned out wonderfully. They are surprisingly light and fluffy, perfectly chocolatey (though I used a bit less than the recommended 12 oz) and not at all vegetable-y. In fact, my dad had one after work and didn't even notice the zucchini.

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Zucchini Parmesan (variation on Eggplant P.)

No pictures; it is excellent, but it's not the most photogenic dish anyway. The recipe I made was from Moosewood and it was very simple. Cut four medium zucchini into 3/4 inch slices, then bread and fry them. Layer the drained, fried zucchini in a baking dish alternately with a pound of grated mozzarella, a cup of parmesan, and a couple of jars (or homemade, for the ambitious) of marinara sauce. Bake for 40 minutes.

Enjoy!

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My other newest occupation has been experimenting with my birthday presents. (Thank you Andrea, Pat, and Carmen!) I ordered some special tools to improve my bread making and I'm getting such a kick out of using the "proper" accoutrement to make pretty loaves.

Sourdough rising in the Brotform-style baskets, ready to be flipped onto the peel and then slid onto the baking stone, waiting super-heated in the oven

The finished product, coated with flax seeds

Of course, the culmination of all this work is a meal like tonight's: A salad entirely from the garden, accompanied by delicious peas and runner beans from a friend's garden, and fresh bread topped with our pesto.