Friday, July 24, 2009

'Tis the Season

The heated battle between me and the garden produce has commenced. Every day is a battle of wits between me and the everlasting zucchini. Or cucumbers. Or beets. Or whatever. Except it's only my wits involved here, since, as far as I know, vegetables don't have wits.

Or do they? That would explain a lot.

BUT ANYWAY.

When you have a garden as big and productive as ours, meal decisions are actually easier. Because, you see, I don't have unlimited variety all season long. Instead, the vegetables come in waves, and whatever is overwhelming me on any given day will be incorporated into dinner. Which is why we had stuffed zucchini and green beans for dinner last night. And why tonight's dinner will include broccoli in some form. And tomorrow will involve a cucumber salad, almost certainly.

Some people might find it boring to have to use the same ingredient in such large quantities in a short span of time. But I think it's the opposite. There's only so much sauteed zucchini you can eat, so you will eventually be forced into trying ever more recipes that use it.

It's not for everyone, this sort of cooking and eating. It can get to be almost nerve-wracking at times, when that huge bag of greens is threatening to spoil and I just don't feel inspired to cook with them. At such times I get sulky, thinking to myself, "I don't have to cook you, greens. You're not the boss of me."

Then I get a grip on myself, because I think talking to vegetables is a bad sign. But this is what gardening will do to you.

9 comments:

mdvelazquez said...

Wait! We aren't suppose to talk to ourselves?!

That type of menu makes sense to me. You are essentially what is "in season," which I would think most people would do.

Have a great weekend, Kristin. I'm routing for you in your battle against the garden.

Phoo-D said...

I love eating this way- while it can be stressful it is so nice to binge on fresh produce while I can and make up for the long winter months.

An Open Heart said...

You're killing me....I have to concur with you though, you start to get creative when you have so much of something and it's on the verge of expiring....I hadn't been out ot my garden in a couple of days and when I finally went out to check on it, I picked over 100 lemon cucumbers...spent the next two days driving around distributing them to friends and neighbors....after the tons of zucchini I had off loaded on them, I was surprised they answered their doors when they saw me! We're actually layering the cucumbers in our caprese salad and I've inadvertantly let the zucchini's get so big a couple of times, we've been slicing them in thick slices, panko breading them and frying them and calling them zucchini 'steaks'!

I enjoy your blog...
S

Meadowlark said...

We're not there yet. But I harvested one 8-ball zucchini and a couple of pea pods. :)

(And are the tomatoes giving you evil looks as they wait to pounce?)

FinnyKnits said...

I put those vegetables in their place constantly. Gotta show them who's boss and all lest they jump you when you're not looking and force you to eat chard.

ACK.

I love this style of eating. It makes us inventive, appreciative and, damn it, it makes us healthy.

Plus, talk to me in February when I haven't seen a fresh crookneck squash or warm tomato for months. At that point, I'm ready to make a bargain with the devil.

Mayberry Magpie said...

I think if you ate this way, there would be a comforting rhythm to it. But we're all so spoiled by "seasonless" fruits and vegetables. And it's strange, you have to admit, those mid-winter strawberries from who knows where.

Anonymous said...

I'm with you. Our garden isn't so big as to be overwhelming - I don't think you CAN have too many tomatoes - but I joined a Farm Share and, oh, the zucchini, the zucchini.
Plus, to be perfectly honest, while we have learned to love and use some new vegetables, there are some they KEEP SENDING and I DON'T LIKE. Basil, for instance. I OD'd on pesto a few years ago and still cannot stand the smell. So I must confess that there are times I have taken an item or two straight out of the farm box and hauled it straight back to the compost heap. So it won't be a total loss, you know.
Jenny

Daisy said...

Have you read Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle? She talks about this. By the time you're sick of the peas, the crop dwindles and the beans are ready. Etc., etc., etc.

Susan said...

I'm too lazy to find the link, but Smitten Kitchen's goat cheese and zucchini pizza is out of this world. Oh what the hell: http://smittenkitchen.com/2009/07/lemony-zucchini-goat-cheese-pizza/

And I have 3 gallon bags with frozen, shredded zucchini for the winter. Thanks for the tip. It will not strangle us in our sleep now.