Summer Squash

There's an old joke about living in a town so small that, if you leave your car unlocked at the shopping center lot, somebody will put a bag of summer squash in the back seat. Anyone who has ever grown yellow crookneck, zucchini, or any of several other variations on summer squash likely has also been overwhelmed by the productivity of these plants. To help relieve the glut, here are some ideas for preparing summer squash.

For many of us in the Southern Appalachian region, summer squash is prepared only two ways, battered and fried, or in squash casserole. But there are plenty of other ways to enjoy squash.

Simple Squash Salad

Choose two or three small, perfect summer squashes. Wash and slice into rounds. Sprinkle with a little sea salt. Leave to sit on the counter for 30 minutes. Top with a little freshly ground black pepper, and enjoy as a salad. You can also add fresh herbs, if you prefer. The salt draws out some of the moisture from the squash, creating a "dressing" for the salad.

Squash Pickles

You can use firm summer squash to make pickles with most recipes that call for cucumbers. Do not use squash with well-developed seeds.

Stuffed Squash

Slice a summer squash lengthwise. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a 1/4-inch shell. Chop the flesh and reserve it. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a skillet and add some chopped onion. When it is softened, add the squash flesh, and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender. Combine the cooked vegetables in a bowl with bread crumbs, grated Parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and minced fresh parsley. Stuff the squash shells with this filling, pour any oil remaining from cooking the vegetables over the top, and place in a preheated 375-degree oven until the stuffing browns nicely and the squash is tender, about 20 to 30 minutes.

The squash is delicious served as shown in the photo, with white beans, pesto and a garnish of fresh tomatoes.

Ratatouille

This classic French vegetable stew combines all of the best summer vegetables into one delicious dish. Cut into bite size pieces onions, summer squash, eggplant, and sweet peppers. Use a variety of types and colors. Saute each vegetable separately in olive oil, seasoning with salt and pepper, and removing each batch from the pan with a slotted spoon before adding the next one. Place the cooked vegetables on a plate to keep warm. While the vegetables are cooking, peel, seed and dice two medium tomatoes to yield about a cup of dice. When the last batch of vegetables is finished, add a minced clove of garlic and the tomatoes to the pan, increase the heat, and cook, stirring, until the tomatoes break down to create a sauce. Add the vegetables back to the tomato sauce, toss to combine, and remove from the heat. Garnish with a generous portion of chopped fresh herbs. Ratatouille is better when made ahead and reheated the next day.

Gazpacho Season

July is my favorite month in the vegetable garden. Finally, I have all the ingredients I need for a homemade, fresh-picked gazpacho. If you are not familiar with this cold tomato soup of Spanish extraction, you are, quite simply, missing out.

Gazpacho actually dates back to Roman times, when leftover bread was mixed with olive oil and garlic to create a porridge-like dish. Bread remains a key component of the dish, although the modern version, with vegetables that were unknown in Europe until the 16th Century, would be unrecognizable to the Romans. To make a great gazpacho requires tomatoes, cucumbers, sweet peppers, sweet onion, fresh basil, fresh parsley, good olive oil and some leftover bread, preferably homemade. I have also obtained great results with sourdough bread from our regional baker, Tellico Grains. The better the bread, the better the gazpacho.

A recipe for gazpacho follows, but the dish is as variable as the many cultures that now enjoy it. At a minimum, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and bread are the only constants. Feel free to vary the composition as you deem appropriate. Just be sure it's good and cold when you serve it.

John's Gazpacho

Makes 4-6 servings

2 medium tomatoes
2 medium or 3 small cucumbers
1 small sweet bell or banana pepper
1 small sweet Vidalia onion
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup torn basil leaves
Leaves stripped from 1 sprig of tarragon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lime

1/2 to 3/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

3 cups chicken stock, water, tomato juice, or a combination, chilled

Core the tomatoes, trim and seed the cucmbers, and seed the pepper. Peel the onion and garlic. Chop these ingredients into chunks and add them in batches to a food processor, along with the parsley, basil and tarragon leaves. Process until finely chopped, but not liquefied. The vegetables should retain their texture. Transfer the gazpacho to a metal bowl and add the salt, paprika, oil, and lime juice. Taste and adjust these seasonings to your satisfaction. Place the bowl in the refrigerator until well-chilled, or overnight.

Note: The vegetable mixture can be frozen at this point, as is, in whatever portions work best for you. Thaw in the refrigerator and add an equal amount of liquid before serving. Top with a spoonful of bread crumbs.

When you are ready to serve the gazpacho, add the bread crumbs and chicken broth. Stir well, and ladle into chilled bowls.

Gazpacho is delicious as is or you can garnish with a dollop of sour cream. Another good garnish is small cubes of tomato, cucumber or pepper, or some of each. Sprinkle more fresh herbs on top, if you wish.

Cucumber Buttermilk Soup

I created this recipe because I had run out of ideas for the abundant harvest of cucumbers we currently enjoy. It is based on a classic cream of cucumber soup, but with far less fat. The acid tang of the buttermilk is enhanced by a touch of cider vinegar. Country flavors come together to re-imagine a classic!

Cucumber Buttermilk Soup

Makes 2 servings, easily multiplied

1 teaspoon canola oil
3 medium cucumbers, seeded and diced, about 2 cups
1/3 cup diced Vidalia onion, or other sweet onion
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 cup buttermilk, or more, if needed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill leaves
2 teaspoons cider vinegar
dash of hot sauce
Salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, cover, turn the heat to low, and cook gently until the onion is translucent. Uncover, add the cucumbers, and cook, stirring once or twice, for a minute or two. Add the chicken broth and the garlic powder, increase the heat, and simmer the soup, covered, for 5 minutes. Transfer the soup to a blender jar and allow to cool for 15-20 minutes. Add the buttermilk, cold from the refrigerator, to the blender, along with the dill. Puree the soup. If you wish, strain the soup. Transfer the soup to a metal bowl, add the vinegar and hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to chill.

Before serving the soup, taste and correct the seasoning. Garnish with diced cucumber, some dill leaves and/or freshly picked cucumber flowers.

Variations: Use another herb  instead of the dill. Try a different type of vinegar or lemon juice for a flavor change.

How To Pickle Anything

Warm summer weather and sufficient rain have conspired to make the garden productive. This is a great opportunity to turn some of your vegetables into pickles. While most of us think of homemade pickles as a canning project, you need not make a large batch nor can them. You can make great pickles that will keep in your refrigerator until the end of summer. Here are some tips for refrigerator pickles.

Most vegetables will benefit from blanching before pickling. These include beans, corn, cauliflower, carrots, and asparagus. Green tomatoes, peppers, okra and cucumbers need not be blanched. Cut or break vegetables into uniform pieces so they will blanch evenly. Leave baby cucumbers, okra pods, tiny peppers and cherry tomatoes whole. One to three minutes, depending upon the size of the pieces and their density, is sufficient blanching time. As soon as the time is up, drain the vegetables in a colander and plunge them into ice water to stop the cooking. You may need to experiment with blanching time. You want the vegetables to retain some crunch. Remember that the pickling process will further tenderize them.

Seasoning pickles is a matter of taste and creativity. I suggest adding whole spices and/or fresh herbs to the jar before adding the vegetables. Some of the best flavorings to use are garlic, bay leaves, hot peppers, peppercorns, mustard seeds, allspice, coriander, celery seeds, clove, dill and ginger. Don't overdo it. You don't want to mask the flavor of the vegetables. Turmeric can be added to any pickle if you want the bright yellow color it gives.

Make a "universal" pickling liquid by combining equal parts of vinegar and water and adding one teaspoon of salt per quart of liquid. You can use more salt if you like salty pickles, but do not alter the vinegar-water mix, as it is crucial for preservation. Use a vinegar of 5% acidity. Clear vinegars will show off the colors of the pickles. However, many traditional Appalachian cooks use apple cider vinegar. The choice is up to you, so long as the acidity is at the proper level.

The procedure for any refrigerator pickle is as follows:

Wash a jar and lid in hot, soapy water. Rinse in hot water and stand upside down on a towel until you are ready to fill the jar.

Place your seasonings in the jar. One bay leaf, one clove of garlic and three peppercorns is a basic mix.

Next, pack the prepared, blanched vegetables into the jar. Pack them in firmly, but not so tight that their shape is distorted.

Bring the pickling liquid to a boil, and pour it carefully over the vegetables in the jar.

Allow the pickles to cool to room temperature, apply the lid, and place the jar in the refrigerator. Wait a week before enjoying the pickles, to allow the flavor to develop.

Pictured are some pickled green cherry tomatoes that I recently made when the wind broke some branches off my plant. I pierced each one with an ice pick at the stem scar before dropping them into the jar. Seasonings are coriander seed, white pepper, and celery seed. If I had added a couple of fresh, washed grape leaves, they would be called "Tennessee Olives." Grape leaves add a bitter element to the flavor, but not too much. The resulting tomatoes taste remarkably similar to green olives.

If you want to make canned pickles that will keep at room temperature, a good place to start is the National Center for Home Food Preservation at the University of Georgia.