Apparently zucchini plants don't care if they get watered in September. And they must thrive on neglect. I harvested five more from my nearly forgotten garden today. I actually caught them before they turned into baseball bats. The leaves of the plants are so dry and quite scratchy when I reached in to pick them, I got tiny little scratches on my arm. If I am smart I'll clean all the garden boxes out before the first freeze. As much as I don't like the dried scratchy plants, once they freeze and turn slimy that's so much worse.
I'll miss my gardening/watering/tending time until next Spring. It's my time to disconnect from the world and reconnect with the earth. As a teenager my mother would ask me to "go weed the garden". Oh my gosh. She may as well have asked me to dig a hole to China. It was a dreadful chore that I hated. I didn't care one bit about where our veggies came from only that it was hot as blazes doing any sort of outside chore in the Arizona sun (no ear-buds, no air-pods, not even a walk-man) Just me and my angry thoughts. My baby niece would come over and be so excited to pick "brocci" out of Grandma's garden. That was pretty cute. And the asparagus that my mother steamed and kept in the fridge as a snack-to-grab was actually quite tasty. Homemade raisins from the grapes she grew on our side-yard fence and fruit leather weren't as yummy as chocolate, but would satisfy when there wasn't any candy in the house which was most of the time.
Digging for worms and catching lady bugs. Their clothes are pretty stylin' too!
(Grandpa Joe and his little helper Natalie)
My babies would go "help" Grand-pa Joe in the garden. He'd always share his bounty. And we nearly gorged ourselves on citrus. But I longed for a little square of dirt to plant something in. I asked Joe if he'd portion out a little spot for me. I planted zucchini and tomatoes. I faithfully watered and weeded and the kids would dig for worms and put them into my little compost pile.
(Elisabeth's little sailor dress sewn by yours truly with about a yard of fabric I purchased for $1. Back in the good ol' days when sewing actually saved you a buck or two!)
This last summer Dave built three more garden boxes for me. Next summer he'll build them up twice as high. My back aches if I have to bend for any extended amount of time. The garden isn't a necessity for our sustenance, but it is a necessity for my mental and emotional well-being. With the strangeness that has been 2020 and the shortages of different grocery store items and limits on amounts of what we could purchase, gardening is probably a good skill to hone. All you need is a tiny patch of dirt, a few little seeds, sunshine, water, and maybe a willing teenager to do the weeding for you. Tell her she can listen to her air-pods while she works. Maybe a little John Denver "Inch by Inch".
Ally xo
For a quick meal these zucchini "fritters" are my fave. Recipe is courtesy of Pearl's sister Aunt Beatrice or "Bea" who lived down the street from us all those years ago and had an amazing garden of her own. She made these for our little family after I'd had a baby. Comfort food at it's finest!
Aunt Bea's Zucchini Fritters
1 Zuchinni grated (moisture squeezed out)
2 eggs
Approx 1/2 grated cheddar cheese
2 green onions chopped
A handful of saltine or any other kind of cracker
Salt & Pepper to taste (or I like a little seasoning salt
Combine ingredients. Heat fry pan with a little olive oil or butter or both. Place little spoonfuls in the pan and cover with a clear lid. As soon as edges begin to set, flip over until browned.
Serve as a meal or as a side-dish with topping of your choice! Salsa, Ranch, Catsup (or is it Ketshup), it's a perfect meal for your littles after they've spent a hard day digging for worms!
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