The tomatoes are on their way out. They have late-season blight. And thanks to all the rain we got early on, they didn't even set their fruits until late, so I don't even know if I'll have enough to do even one canner-load.
This is the third season running of sucking tomatoes. Maybe next year will make up for it. Maybe.
And in the meantime, how about some cucumbers and squash!
I've made two batches of refrigerator dills already (that's ten quarts total) and given my sister-in-law enough cucumbers to make a batch for herself. That's a lot of cucumbers.
But the cucumber plants are nothing in comparison to the freakish squash plants. There's a volunteer . . . something that came up in the compost. I think it sprouted from the seeds of a random squash Mr. Jason brought us. It's some heirloom kind that's the shape of a pumpkin and the color of a blue Hubbard. And the plant ate the entire east side of the garden. Seriously out of control.
But even THAT is nothing to the lone surviving butternut squash plant. I planted four butternut squash seeds. Only one came up. And thank God for that, because that one plant has 21 squashes on it. Twenty-one.
Send me your squash recipes. I'm gonna need 'em.
http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-pasta-with-butternut-sq-64966
ReplyDeleteOur squash did quite well this summer too--including growing outside the garden fence into the neighbor's yard. But like yours, our tomatoes are not good--half ripe before they split.
ReplyDeleteI've the best pumpkin pies are actually made with squash. Yes, I know pumpkin is a kind of squash, what I mean is other non-pumpkin squash. http://www.thekitchn.com/the-best-squash-for-pumpkin-pie-is-not-pumpkin-180554
ReplyDeleteWe got three, may be four, very small butternut squash from our potted plant. Too bad, because I really like roasted butternut squash.
ReplyDeleteIt also made me feel bad for wasting our most precious resource on it - water. Not something you usually have to worry about in your neck of the woods.
Put butternut squash in anything you would use pumpkin for (bread, pie, cake, cookies, cheesecake, ice cream, soups, etc.) Just cut back on the sweetener in any dessert recipe, because butternut is sweeter than pumpkin.
ReplyDeleteMAKE PIE! That's the only way I use butternut next to roasting and devouring while hunched over the pan with a giant fork. "Pumpkin Pie" made with squash is EXCELLENT. Drew is right!
ReplyDeleteI have late season blight on my paste tomatoes, too. I planted 20 and only about 10 have given me enough fruit for canning.
Annoying. Next year I'm going stupice and roma. Done.
You could make lasagna using the squash in place of noodles.
ReplyDelete