Planting Zones and Life Isn't Fair

Those big growing maps of the entire United States aren't a completely reliable guide for planting. Only a few miles can make a big difference.

On Mother's Day I sat down with my son-in-law and divided up all of the seeds I bought. I was ready to plant and got those seeds in the ground right away. He hadn't prepared his garden yet and didn't get around to planting until the end of May. They live only 25 miles away, but they have almost two weeks more growing season than I do. They live on Virginia's Northern Neck, that strip of land between the Potomac and the Rappahannock Rivers. It's flat, it's sunny, and it has wonderfully rich, sandy soil. The counties of the Neck have been growing grain, hay and vegetables to feed Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania since the 17th century. Drop a seed in the ground in King George, Westmoreland, Richmond, Northumberland or Lancaster counties and it will grow no matter what you do to it. I think the land is the bottom of a prehistoric sea.

I, on the othe hand, live in Stafford County right at the Falls of the Rappahannock, the end of the Tidewater. 100,000 Union troops were stationed here during the entire Civil War, and I think they chopped down every tree in the county. There probably are less than a dozen hundred year old trees in the whole county. As a result my county has very little topsoil. And we get warm later and cold earlier. We're only 25 miles away, but it makes a difference.

The point of this is that I spent July 4 at their house and saw that my early, plentiful summer squash crop was nothing compared to the bounty they had produced in less time.

Of course, we all have more squash than we can eat. So, here's some more zucchini recipes.

Roasted Vegetable Salad Recipe

2 large (1 1/4 pounds) eggplant, peeled, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 large (12 ounces) zucchini, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 medium (6 ounces) yellow squash, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 cups diced onion
1/2 cup olive oil
3 teaspoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 cup finely chopped assorted fresh herbs, such as chives, tarragon, dill, chervil, basil, cilantro, and parsley
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
8 ounces feta ceese, crumbled (about 2 cups)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and toss with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, to evenly coat.

Spread the vegetables in one layer in a large roasting pan, and roast in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and allow the vegetables to cool for 15 minutes.

Place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl and toss with the fresh herbs, olive oil, lemon juice, and garlic. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Toss with the cheese and serve.

Greek Zucchini Cakes

1 pound zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3 green onions, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup chopped pine nuts
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon freshly milled black pepper
Olive oil

Combine the grated zucchini and kosher salt. Set aside for 5 minutes (no more, or it will be mush). Rinse in cold water and squeeze dry in a kitchen towel or press in a strainer or colander until dry.
Combine the cheese, egg, green onions, flour, pine nuts, dill, oregano, garlic, and pepper in a large bowl; fold in the zucchini. Form into 24 small cakes (about 2 tablespoons of mixture for each) and saute in olive oil, turning once, until browned, about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

Zucchini Lasagna
From: The Everything Vegetarian Cookbook by Jay Weinstein
This lasagna has no noodles! The zucchini serves as the lasagna.

4 large zucchini, sliced very thin on a mandolin or slicing machine, about 1/8-inch thick
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 pound provolone or mozzarella, or cheese of your choice, shredded
2 cups sauteed onions and mushrooms,
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread 1 cup sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish. Arrange a layer of zucchini slices into the pan, overlapping the pieces by a third.
Dot the zucchini layer with half of the ricotta, distributing teaspoonfuls evenly around the casserole. Layer on 1/3 of the shredded cheese, and half of the vegetables.
Arrange another layer of zucchini, and repeat fillings, using remaining ricotta, vegetables, and another third of the shredded cheese. Add a final layer of zucchini on top, and spread on 2 more cups of tomato sauce.
Sprinkle top with remaining cheese; bake 1 hour until casserole is bubbly and cheese is lightly browned. Cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until cold. Cut into portions, and reheat in the oven or microwave until hot.