The Texas Master Gardener of Texas activities EarthWords are coordinated by AgriLIFE EXTENSION, Texas A&M System. Texas Master Gardener programs serve all people regardless of socio- Photo by Anne Barr economic level, race, color, sex, religion, disabil- ity or national origin. Inside this issue: 2007 Texas First Place Award Winning Newsletter 2 Milam County Nature Festival Small Division God‟s Thoughts on Lawns 3 Little River Basin Master Gardener Association Zucchini Zillion 4 July-September 2010 Volume 3 Issue 3 Zucchini Cobbler 5 Fall Gardening Tips 6 “ZILLION“ USES FOR ABUNDANT Italian Zucchini Crescent Pie 7 ZUCCHINI CROP By Jo Ann Bradford Zucchini Dressing/Sweet-Dill 8 Zucchini Pickles Zucchini History seeds to the Mediterranean region and Africa. LRBMGA DEMONSTRATION Less than thirty years ago, the zuc- GARDEN chini, formerly often referred to as The French snubbed zucchini for a 2006 2nd Place Winner of State long time until chefs learned to Project green Italian squash, was hardly rec- State Junior Master Gardener ognized in the United States. Today, choose small fruits that are less bland of the Year 2008 it is not only widely recognized, but a and watery. The French term for zuc- Nathan Schupp of Cameron particular favorite of home garden- chini is courgette, which is often used EarthWords is a bi-monthly publica- ers. Notwithstanding its prolific interchangeably for yellow squash as tion of Little River Basin Master Gardener Association to educate growing nature, its popularity is well. and inspire our gardeners in an entertaining format. probably due to in large part to its Although the term summer squash Jon Gersbach, MS versatility as a vegetable as well as in can mean a variety of different County Extension Agent breads and dessert. squashes depending on to whom you Milam County are speaking, you can pretty much use 254.697.7045 Zucchini, Cucurbita pepo, is a mem- [email protected] ber of the cucumber and melon fam- the different summer squash varieties Contact us at: interchangeably. [email protected] ily. Inhabitants of Central and South EarthWords staff: America have been eating zucchini for Zucchini Growing Anne Barr Ann Collins several thousand years, but the zuc- Zucchini is easy to grow. It is a Katherine Bedrich Pat Camp chini we know today is a variety of warm season vegetable readily injured Janice Johnson Bonnie George summer squash developed in Italy. by frost and freezes. Plant seeds di- Susan Humble Dorothy Rachui The word zucchini comes from the rectly in the garden, or use container- Sherrie Shutt Pat Runcie Michael Vidrine Italian zucchino, meaning a small ized transplants. Space plants 24 Shawn Walton squash. The term squash comes from inches apart (or closer if space is lim- Master Gardener supporters from the Indian skutasquash meaning ited) on 36-48 inch wide beds. Hill Texas AgriLIFE EXTENSION: Jon Gersbach, Cheryl Walker, Erica "green thing eaten green." Christo- planting is also feasible. Four to six Evans, Marcia Felton and Diann Mitchell. pher Columbus originally brought plants will feed an average size family (Continued on page 2) Volume 3 Issue 3 EarthWords July-September 2010 Page 2 (Continued from page 1,”Zillion Uses”) cheese, oil, butter, bread crumbs more moisture. Steaming pro- or fry the zucchini. duces the crispest, least soggy in any one growing season. Fertil- Zucchini: Freezing vegetable. If using zucchini in a ize as for other garden vegeta- casserole recipe, it may be par- Shred unpeeled zucchini, drain bles. boiled or steamed to remove in a colander and then pat dry Insects that bother zucchini some of the moisture. Or make with paper towel, apply pressure. include leaf miners, aphids, cut- allowances of the amount of Remove as much moisture as pos- worms, squash vine borers, moisture to avoid having an ex- sible to prevent zucchini from squash bugs, cucumber beetles, tra, runny result! Experiment getting soggy when frozen. Place mole crickets, and fruit worms. with herbs with zucchini...it 1 or 2 cups of zucchini in freezer Common diseases are downy mil- needs them! Or add flavor with bags and seal tightly. Should last dew, powdery mildew, mosaic vi- onion, garlic, cheese or tomatoes! for 3-4 months. Blanching ruses, and fruit rots. Occasional method is recommended for Just remember, overcook zuc- injury results from root-knot longer term freezing. chini and you end up with mush. nematodes. There is no way to salvage it Zucchini: Using and Preserv- Zucchini: Nutrition other than to make soup. ing One cup of zucchini has about Equivalents: Store fresh picked or pur- 35 calories. It contains about chased zucchini in a plastic bag in 3-4 servings 340 milligrams of potassium, 530 the refrigerator for up to one International Units of vitamin A week for best quality. Be sure about 3 medium and 70 milligrams of phosphorus. the zucchini is dry when you put 1 pound zuc- zucchini Zucchini is a good source of it in the bag as moisture will en- chini fiber with 4 grams per cup. Be courage mold and spoilage. Zuc- 2-1/2 cups sure to include the peel to get all chini can also be pickled or fro- chopped the fiber. Adults should get 20- zen. 30 grams of dietary fiber from Zucchini is best if cooked when 1 medium 1 cup sliced zuc- their daily diet. Remember the fresh and small as it will have zucchini chini calories will be higher if you add MILAM COUNTY NATURE FESTIVAL The Milam County Nature Festival held on June 11-12 was a resounding success. It was sponsored by the El Camino Real Master Naturalist and fully supported by volunteers and money from the Little River Basin Master Gardeners. Friday night had the dedication of the park as a bird sanctuary in honor of Francis Nabors Griffin, mother of Linda Lewis, a LRBMGA member, followed by the sounds of the night by Lee Ann Linam and the keynote speaker, Andrew Sansom, speaking on water conservation. Everyone enjoyed the outdoor movie, “Endangered Species, Never Say Good Bye”. Saturday was a full day of presentations on subjects from the native history of our area to Wildscapes. Continuous activities for children and youth relative to nature were held all day. Girl Scouts were able to earn a badge by at- tending and participating in the activities. Although the temperature was high and the humidity was up, everyone seemed to have learned a lot and had a good time. A special thanks to all the hardworking volunteers. Volume 3 Issue 3 EarthWords July-September 2010 Page 3 God's thoughts on lawns-- GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell Frank, you know all about gardens and na- it? ture. What in the world is going on down there on ST. FRANCIS: that planet? What happened to the dandelions, vio- No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it lets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a away. perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants GOD: grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long- grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees cut it off and pay to throw it away? and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast ST. FRANCIS: garden of colors by now. But, all I see are these Yes, Sir. green rectangles. GOD: ST. FRANCIS: These Suburbanites must be relieved in the sum- It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The mer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and a lot of work. replace them with grass. ST. FRANCIS: GOD: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colorful. It the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only hoses and pay more money to water it so they can grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to tempera- continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. tures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that GOD: grass growing there? What nonsense. At least they kept some of the ST. FRANCIS: trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural that crops up in the lawn. blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect GOD: the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life. The spring rains and warm weather probably make ST. FRANCIS: grass grow really fast. That must make the Subur- You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have banites happy. drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they ST. FRANCIS: rake them into great piles and pay to have them Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, hauled away. they cut it-sometimes twice a week. GOD: GOD: No. What do they do to protect the shrub and They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay? tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and ST.