Happy National Zucchini Day!

I reap what I sow. I sowed two seeds. I am now a zucchini warehouse.

Anonymous

Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to garden, and the whole neighborhood gets zucchini. Anonymous

Zucchini and I have a love/hate relationship. I love to grow them when it goes well, but I hate when squash bugs infest my plants and ruin the crop. I like small squash, but hate the flavor of large squash, but they grow SOOOO fast! Did you know that a squash can grow from one to two inches per day!  I like to share with others but hate it when the bugs win and I don’t have squash to share. I love making spicy pesto zoodles as part of a healthy meal, or grilling them with other vegetables, but I hate the taste of squash when it is simply boiled or baked on its own.

Whether you like zucchini or not, everyone knows that, on good years, gardeners are enthusiastically (or compellingly) sharing large and many squash with everyone they know!  I remember one year, hiking with friends when the squash harvest was peaking…and making sure all my hiking friends took home a squash. The plants that year had thrived and I couldn’t keep up with sharing enough squash so there were several zucchini that were huge! One behemoth was the size of a baby and weighed over 15 pounds! 

If you’re a gardener, may your squash be plentiful…and your friends who like squash also be abundant!  If you don’t like zucchini…I totally understand. Take some from your gardener friends anyway and share them with co-workers, other friends, and anyone else you know!  Help a gardener out!