The Zucchini Are Ready to Harvest

The zucchini plants which were started in April now have zucchinis ready to pick. I'm growing them in containers this year. I got an early start on everything this year by planting in containers and covering the seedlings with glass jars to protect them from our cool spring. It's paying big dividends. We've already enjoyed two crops of lettuce. The third is planted under canvas now. Well, it's not really canvas. It's one of those microfiber crop covers that is supposed to be much better at cooling soil and protecting from insects. We'll see how it goes. I plan to start picking beets on Saturday. We've been enjoying beet green for several weeks now as I thinned the beet boxes. Now it's time to get serious about the beets themselves. We love beets, but this is the first year I've grown them.

Here's a salad to use some of my zucchini. And my local Shoppers Food Warehouse had broccoli on sale this week.

Garden Pasta Salad

Salad Ingredients:

6 ounces (3 cups) uncooked dried medium pasta shells
2 cups broccoli florets
2 medium (2 cups) yellow summer squash or zucchini, sliced 1/4-inch
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into strips
4 ounces shredded cheddar cheese

Dressing Ingredients:

1/2 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons country-style Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (you can find a vegetarian Worcestershire sauce)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions:

Cook pasta according to package directions. Rinse with cold water; drain. Combine all salad ingredients except cheese in large bowl; gently stir in cooked pasta and cheese.

Combine all dressing ingredients except Parmesan cheese in medium bowl. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.

Yield: 6 servings

Try these muffins to go with your salad. We even like these for breakfast, but then we're real chiliheads. About a third of my chili pepper plants have blossomed, and two plants even have little baby peppers on them. Our summer promises to be quite spicy. We grow enough peppers to freeze. So I can whip these muffins up any time of year.

Cheesy Corn Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup sour cream
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped mild green chilies – Anaheim is about the mildest
2 (8 1/2-ounce) packages corn muffin mix
2 eggs
4 ounces (1 cup) Cheddar Cheese, shredded – There are several brands of shredded Mexican blends available that work even better than plain cheddar

Instructions:

Heat oven to 400°F. Combine all ingredients except cheese in medium bowl; stir just until moistened. Gently stir in cheese.

Spoon batter into paper-lined muffin cups. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 16 muffins