Column: Verlys Huntley, Notes from the Garden

Heavy rains and extremely hot weather have brought gardens and field crops along very quickly over the past month. Most field corn is tasseled out and setting on ears, soybeans are setting on pods and crops in general are looking very good. Unfortunately, very heavy rains in some areas did cause some low areas to drown out. Usually if water does not drain off in a few days, the crop is lost. We had on our place over 6 inches in one storm, and it came down very quickly. Because the soil was already saturated, most of this rain ran off into low areas, and tiling systems are not designed to handle that much water. We had water standing on the lower part of our driveway, which had not happened in the almost 50 years we have lived here. This season so far has brought us a lot of extreme weather conditions — too cold and wet early, some very, very hot weather quite early in the summer and then the heavy rainfall a couple weeks ago. And with lots of standing water, now the mosquitoes are very abundant and annoying!

Garden crops in general are doing quite well. Sweet corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and summer squash are now coming in, although my tomatoes are still about a couple weeks away. Our early sweet corn is now ready, if we can keep the raccoons out. If some of you are finding that your tomatoes did not set on fruit as expected, the extremely hot weather can cause the blossoms to abort. However, as the weather moderates, expect this condition to correct itself, and you will still probably get plenty of tomatoes. I don’t believe that the apple crop locally will be nearly as good as last year. Many of our trees that should have had apples this year, have none. Other trees have a few apples, and a few trees have a a pretty nice amount of apples. I am somehow blaming the weather, and it could even have been last year’s weather, as trees begin preparing the prior year to get ready for bearing fruit the next year.

The things you will now find at the market are green and yellow beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, Swiss chard and other greens, kohlrabi, onions (green and large sweet), potatoes, summer squash and tomatoes, with more new items arriving weekly. You will also find plants (perennials and annuals), cut flowers, maple syrup, honey, all kinds of jams and jellies, salsa, pickles, farm fresh eggs, local meats, natural body lotions, soaps, and many other unique locally-produced items. When you purchase from your local farmers market, you not only get great tasting vegetables and fruits, meats, eggs and unique locally produced craft items, you are supporting your local economy. These vendors live within 35 miles of Albert Lea and support many different local businesses.

Produce of the week: summer squash

Summer squash is a general term for about 70 different varieties of tender-skinned, bland tasting squash, of which zucchini is probably the most well known. Some other common kinds are yellow (either straight or crookneck and scallop (also called patty pan).

Summer squash produce rather prolifically, and for the home gardener, three or four plants will probably produce all you need. They are a heat-loving plant, and the squash should be picked while the seeds are small and the skin is tender. However if you are grating them, you can let them get larger, as you will probably be peeling them and removing the seeds.

Most of these summer squash can be used interchangeably in recipes. They can be used either raw, or cooked; and can be microwaved, grilled, grated and put into baked goods. In baked goods, they do help the product stay moist and give a nice texture. If you have not tried grilling yellow squash or zucchini, you may want to try this simple method. Just slice them about 1/4-inch thick, spray or coat with olive oil and sprinkle lightly with garlic salt. Then grill for just a few minutes on each side and serve hot. It’s a wonderful side dish when grilling burgers or steaks.

Recipes

Zucchini and corn

1 stick butter, melted

1 zucchini, cubed

1 onion, chopped

2 cups cooked fresh sweet corn

4 black olives, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. Cajun seasoning

Melt butter, add remaining ingredients, and cook 10 minutes, just until tender. Any leftovers can be added to your breakfast omelet, or maybe you want to make a larger amount so you have planned leftovers.

Easy chocolate zucchini cake

l package dark chocolate cake mix

1 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs

1-1/4 cups water

1/2 cup oil

1 cup shredded zucchini (peeled or unpeeled)

1/4 cup chopped nuts

Grease and flour a tube pan. (Note: Could use regular cake pan or even a bar pan, with slightly shorter baking time). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine cake mix and cinnamon. Add eggs, water and oil and beat two minutes. Fold in zucchini and nuts. Pour into pan and if using tube pan, bake at 350 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes, and then test the cake to make sure it’s done.

See you at the market

We are there each Wednesday from 4 to 6 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to noon. Don’t forget to look for the latest recipes, and pick up a copy of our Farm to Market monthly newsletter at our market information booth. And bring your EBT/SNAP card and credit/debit cards, as you can now use these at the market to make your shopping even easier

I will also be out at the Freeborn County Fair on Tuesday, Aug. 2, at 6 p.m. at the Home Activities Building giving a talk/demo on making apple cider. Hope to see you there also.

Verlys Huntley is a master gardener and the president of the Albert Lea Farmers Market.