My big, fat Zucchini

[blogslut]

Sorry. No pics. I accept that my post invites salacious response and that's okay. I'm immune to that.

So, I was out foraging the community garden behind my apartment, looking for yellow squash and zucchini. For the most part, not much is happening yet. There are lots of baby veggies but I am being good this year and waiting for them to mature before I pluck them offa their stalky-things. Then I saw it - the biggest fucking zucchini I've ever seen. Yeah, it's a foot long and that's not so extraordinary. What chunked my salsa is that, at it's wides point, this sucker is 12 inches around.

The reason there are no picks is because I already chopped up half the thing, grilled the goodies and added it to last night's pasta dinner. Good eating and I shall do it again tonight.

This community garden is the greatest thing that's happened to me in a very long time.

[Gidney N Cloyd]

1. Is it true that picking zucchinis makes the plants produce more?

This is my first summer trying to grow them and I've got 3 big ones out there, too. Wasn't sure whether to pick them before I wanted them or leave them be for awhile.

[blogslut]

2. I just was reading up on that

Apparently, one is supposed to pick the babies or at least pick them while the skin is soft enough to pierce with a fingernail. If they get too big, they're not as tasty.

Mine was kind of spongy and the grilling probably made it taste way better than it should.

[Kali]

4. don't turn your back on them!!!!

go pick whatever you see - they will grow so fast and when they get really big they are not very edible - get your machete!


OMG be careful out there!

[Gidney N Cloyd]

7. What makes them not very edible?

[Kali]

8. they get kind of fibrous - woody

you can still use them but you need to cut off the peel and clean out the seeds - and if you have zucchini in the garden, it's easier to just wait 5 minutes and you will have some new tender ones that are more edible. best to just pick them as soon as you see them and toss the giants you will inevitably miss. not worth the work, really - you will be sick of them soon if you have more than one plant, anyway.

don't get me wrong, they are great cooked in a variety of ways (even raw), but they are so prolific all the jokes about them are completely true...

[GreenPartyVoter]

6. That could be true. I know that if I deadhead my flower blossoms the plants will

rebloom because they are trying to reproduce and I screwed it up for them. :P

[applegrove]

3. Chop that zucchini up and fry it in butter and curry powder. Yummy!

[Kali]

5. when they get really big you have to throw the seedy part and the hide away

try not to let them get over 6 to 9 inches - regular cucumber size - or they just get gross

one way to fool yourself into using them is to cut them long wise, hollow them out, stuff with your favorite filling (think stuffed peppers or whatever), bake, spoon filling onto plate and throw zucchini away!}(

[blogslut]

11. I'm going to be smarter

I'll pick all the babies! Muahahahahah!

[rug]

9. "the biggest fucking zucchini I've ever seen"

no comment

[GoCubsGo]

10. That's stuffing size.

Mmmmmm... Stuffed zucchini...

[Gidney N Cloyd]

12. Wasn't there an old Frankie and Annette movie about this?

[WinkyDink]

13. I have, in pots at the top of my driveway: zucchini; yellow squash; green peppers; & white & purple

eggplants!

Already made one dish with eggplant and zucchini with lemon thyme (from my tiny herb garden)!

[kwassa]

14. This thread is useless without big, fat Zucchini pictures.