Pickling again

Some of you will remember I had an instructional post last summer about pickled squash.  It was the first I'd made in many years and I managed two batches (12 jars) before the squash gave out.  I anticipated having more space this summer with our "pool garden" therefore planted extra hills of squash and purchased 24 canning jars.  What I didn't anticipate were August temperatures and lack of rain in mid June!  We've watered, but the hot, dry wind has taken its toll on our garden.  The squash is not producing like I hoped.  At least we haven't been plagued with squash bugs like many folks in our area. 

So far we've had steamed squash and onions twice and given away a mess to someone who shared their potatoes and sugar snap peas with us.  Even though I haven't gotten to make my squash casserole yet (a favorite!), I was determined to pickle the next harvest.  Vidalia onions were all I had on hand and there was only enough squash for four jars, but ... can you spot the other difference in this batch?  The peppers also came from my garden!!  It's the first time I've grown them! 

Success

Remember the pickled squash post last month? It tastes just like I remembered.

Yellow Squash Muffins

With less than an hour until supper and a mess of squash on my counter last night, I did a quick search on the internet and found this recipe at Cooks.com. Although I cut the recipe in half, I used all of my squash (without measuring) and I ended up with a dozen muffins. They were quite tasty!

Yellow Squash Muffins

2 lb. yellow squash (about 8 med.)
2 eggs
1 c. butter, melted
1 c. sugar
3 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt

Wash squash thoroughly, trim ends. Cut into 1 inch slices. Cook in small amount of boiling water 15 to 20 minutes until tender. Drain well, mash. Measure enough of the squash to make 2 cups.

Combine squash, eggs and butter. Stir well and set aside. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in center of mixture. Add squash mixture to dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened. Spoon into greased muffin pan, filling 3/4 full. Bake at 275 degrees for 20 minutes or until done. Makes 1 1/2 dozen.

Pickled Squash

In the early years of our marriage there were quite a few summers that we planted a large garden... mostly tomatoes, squash, and purple hull peas. Although I found out quickly that only a couple of squash plants are necessary to feed a family of five all summer, there were several summers I planted extra so I could pickle the excess.

This has been a good year and I've found myself with more squash than I can use (or even give away). I decided to pickle some a few weeks ago. I dug out the basic recipe I had used, but it didn't include specifics. You'd think with all the pints and quarts I churned out in the past I would remember, but a few details escaped me. So.... I just dug out my canning utensils and set to work.

Before I got started I remembered to sterilize my canning jars and put the lids and rings in the hot water until I was ready for them. I peeled and thinly sliced squash until I had 12 cups.

Next I thinly sliced some white onion... about three cups.

I combined the squash and onion in a large bowl and sprinkled them with salt to "sweat" for about an hour.

Meanwhile, I cut up about 3 large bell peppers and placed them in a large pot along with 4-1/2 cups sugar, 3 teaspoons mustard seed, 3 teaspoons celery seed, and 3 cups white vinegar. I then brought it to a hard boil.

This is where things briefly got out of hand. While waiting on the mixture to boil, I was standing at the sink draining off the squash and onions. When I looked back at the stove, the mixture had gone from barely coming to a boil to boiling over! What a mess!! It left a sticky liquid all over the burner that immediately started to smoke, setting off the smoke detector (nice to know it works!) and terrifying the dogs!

Anyway, I got back on track and put the squash/onions into the mixture and brought it to another hard boil. I immediately filled the canning jars with the mixture and liquid to within about a half inch of the top. Then I placed the warm lids on the jars and screwed on the rims before putting them into a hot water bath for about 15 minutes.

I removed the jars from the hot water and set them on a towel to cool. When I checked on them later, the lids had "popped" down assuring me that I'd gotten a good seal.

Now all that remains to be seen is if it tastes as good as I remember. The jars need to sit in a cool place out of the sunlight for about a month for the flavors to set. Then I'll cook up a mess of purple hull peas, pile some pickled squash on my serving, and see how it tastes! I'll let you know.....

Squash Blossoms

It wasn't until I saw the photo of the squash blossom in the sidebar of Marion's blog that I really ever gave any thought to its beauty. I had never before considered it a "real" flower. It was just a means to the end, a precursor... necessary, but not necessarily noteworthy.

This morning I headed to our little garden spot and noticed that the blossoms were wide open and swarming with bees. I hurried back in for my camera so I could share some photos here.

I waited and waited for the bee to exit this flower. Perhaps he was drunk on nectar?

Not sure if this bee was arriving or departing.

I managed to find a blossom without a bee in it!

If you look in the background of this photo you will see blossoms becoming squash in varying stages.

Marion included a portion of a poem by Robert Francis under her photo. Here is the poem in its entirety.

Squash in Blossom
Robert Francis

How lush, how loose, the uninhibited squash is.
If ever hearts (and these immoderate leaves
Are vegetable hearts) were worn on sleeves,
The squash's are. In green the squash vine gushes.

The flowers are cornucopias of summer,
Briefly exuberant and cheaply golden.
And if they make a show of being hidden,
Are open promiscuously to every comer.

Let the squash be what it was doomed to be
By the old Gardener with the shrewd green thumb.
Let it expand and sprawl, defenceless, dumb.
But let me be the fiber-disciplined tree

Whose leaf (with something to say in wind) is small,
Reduced to the ingenuity of a green splinter
Sharp to defy or fraternize with winter,
Or if not that, prepared in fall to fall.

Recipe Rehash

Here are a couple that are great for summertime.

This first one comes from the 1959 edition of the General Foods Kitchens Cookbook.

Tomato & Onion Salad

1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 teaspoons prepared mustard
1/4 cup olive oil or salad oil
2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar
6 firm tomatoes, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
Chopped parsley

Combine garlic and salt in small bowl;mash with a spoon. Stir in sugar, pepper, mustard, oil, and vinegar. Pour over tomato and onion slices. Sprinkle with parsley. Chill. Serve plain as a relish salad. Or serve on crisp greens. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Now, here's how I change things around. I triple all the dressing ingredients, except for the oil, and put them in a glass jar with a lid. Shake well and pour over sliced tomatoes and onions that have been layered in a bowl. We think it's best if it's marinated awhile in the fridge before eating.I often substitute minced garlic for fresh and never include the parsley.

This is also quite good over canned green beans (drained, of course) and onions!

Squash Casserole

Approx. 2 cups cooked summer squash
3/4 stick butter or margarine
2 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup grated cheese (I use the fiesta blend from WalMart)
1 cup evaporated milk
2 cups cracker crumbs (I use one tube of reduced-fat Ritz)
2 Tbs. sugar

Mash cooked squash, add other ingredients and mix well. Pour into a greased dish and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.