tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post3406889219032142745..comments2024-03-14T05:55:13.709-05:00Comments on Farmgirl Fare: How To Freeze Zucchini and Summer Squash & My One Claim To FameFarmgirl Susanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comBlogger80125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-59533956406912327452016-07-19T03:57:03.145-05:002016-07-19T03:57:03.145-05:00I have so many squash this year. Glad to read how...I have so many squash this year. Glad to read how to freeze them. I need to get going, because they keep coming in. Had a problem last year with vine borer. Read a tip on the garden forum and it worked. My plants could feed the neighborhood. This takes time and is a real pain but the end results is great. Cut small strips of panty hose (no, this is not a joke) and wrap each little vine before you put it in the ground. I thought this was crazy too, but hey it works to keep those vine borers out for good. Have not seen one this year and I have a bumper crop. Thanks everyone for all the tips and I have to get me one of those food savers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-66749908250232626152016-07-03T16:45:31.351-05:002016-07-03T16:45:31.351-05:00I have found that putting cigarette ash with the s...I have found that putting cigarette ash with the squash and zucchini seeds when you sow them, helps to deter the squash bugs. I have done this every year and we have an abundant crop.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05229553140326561216noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-6915858308298163982016-06-25T15:31:43.171-05:002016-06-25T15:31:43.171-05:00Borer beetle larvae don't climb vertical surf...Borer beetle larvae don't climb vertical surfaces, even 1 inch (2.5 cm) high. So in areas like here, a raised bed or just a paper circle (like the coffee cup sleeves at Panera Bread) will keep that pest from your vines. When they are big enough they fall, they are too tough, or its too late in the season, but the borer is not a problem. I lost the first few years' plants to them, but now I never have a problem with that particular pest.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09383040557957000059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-60662607554244126722014-08-24T14:51:31.264-05:002014-08-24T14:51:31.264-05:00We had good success with germination. There is lot...We had good success with germination. There is lots of clover so we have many busy bees. We were blessed with a really good garden again this year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-62012621745714936092014-06-25T19:40:09.795-05:002014-06-25T19:40:09.795-05:00This may have been mentioned, but there are so man...This may have been mentioned, but there are so many comments I didn't read them all. Last year we used our vacuum sealer to freeze lots and lots of zucchini, shredded and sliced. I would thaw out a bag, and dump it liquid and all into a pan and let it simmer away. These tasted good, but were mushy globs of zucchini. One evening I was trying to fix a quick supper and instead of dumping the bag into the pan, I decided to pop it in the microwave. I was kinda worried about it, and watched the bag as it swelled. I just knew it was gonna pop. A couple of times I opened to door, to let the bag deflate a little, then restarted it. After a few minutes I opened the bag, and they were perfect steamed zucchini slices, not lumps of mush...and of course they were very tasty!!!cathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13388167181332169327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-71366707181390304742013-07-29T00:12:33.665-05:002013-07-29T00:12:33.665-05:00Here in Montana we plant our squash plants about J...Here in Montana we plant our squash plants about June 1st. The sets usually have a few leaves on them by then - maybe 10 inches tall or so. We had a late freeze on the 9th this year and I replanted about half of them on the 12th. I transplanted the frost damaged ones at the end of my corn (every other row) as an experiment. All are doing fine. The transplanted squash were only slightly behind, but they caught up quickly with Miracle Grow liquid organic plant food every two weeks or so. Epsom salt might have helped too, but I am only using it on my tomatoes and peppers this year. Planting Bea Balm at the corners of the garden seems to do the trick for pollination problems due to a lack of bees. I believe it also attracts those leaf eating wasps though. Also I use shredded yellow squash and onions to make hash browns for dinner. I precook the squash to get the liquid under control and then I add the onions, spices and potatoes. Yummy. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-71028108708932365992012-10-11T17:07:47.664-05:002012-10-11T17:07:47.664-05:00Thanks for getting straight to the point on how to...Thanks for getting straight to the point on how to freeze squash. Most site makes it look. Hard and undesireable. Your directions was great. Thank youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-85431977893176681882012-08-12T09:59:20.503-05:002012-08-12T09:59:20.503-05:00do you thaw the shredded zucchini before you start...do you thaw the shredded zucchini before you start making your bread?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-7994721402087612252012-07-19T06:56:50.119-05:002012-07-19T06:56:50.119-05:00We have had a ton of squash bugs this year and we&...We have had a ton of squash bugs this year and we're losing all our plants. When we found aphids on our tomato plants we renewed our search to find an organic bug spray. We discovered insecticidal soap. There are many different recipes but the one I used was 5 thsp of ivory soap to 1 gallon of water. I was thrilled when I discovered it worked to kill the squash bugs and Japanese beetles too! I ended up reducing the soap to only 3 tbsp and that worked well too! Good luck!themennaswilljourneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15114687979609073933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-24567449391071571652012-07-13T00:44:30.470-05:002012-07-13T00:44:30.470-05:00I am in Connecticut and last year I had No zucchin...I am in Connecticut and last year I had No zucchini because of the squash bore. This year I planted one zucchini plant and I have soooo much . I have given it to all three of my sons, their inlaws, my inlaws, every neighbor until they have screemed uncle. So I decided I would make French fried Zucchini sticks which I froze, I have shreded them, chunked them, juliened them and froze those. I made bread that I froze and muffins and even made a great cole slaw with onions and poppyseed dressing. I will use the frozen chuncks this winter to make soups and to put in stews. I also made Ratattoui. Sorry about that spelling. This also freezes fine. Good luck everyone.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-26771176609804816792012-07-08T18:18:52.077-05:002012-07-08T18:18:52.077-05:00I buy the food saver rolls and make my own bags th...I buy the food saver rolls and make my own bags that way I freeze smaller amounts that I would use up and not have to worry about resealing the bag (that can be a pain)they sell them at most stores where you buy the bags, I only freeze zucchini shredded for baking so can't help there to much and it does come out wet just strain and bake with it, egg plant, I make eggplant parm then freeze that so don't know to much there either sorry hope something here helpedBeverlynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-37809327082086629582012-07-08T18:12:20.425-05:002012-07-08T18:12:20.425-05:00Thats all I do also , but I only use zucchini for ...Thats all I do also , but I only use zucchini for baking so it does't matter if it wet I just strain it and bake with it deliciousBeverlynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-50800693743311396872012-06-24T18:02:54.900-05:002012-06-24T18:02:54.900-05:00Hi Sandra,
Congratulations on your new garden! I&#...Hi Sandra,<br />Congratulations on your new garden! I'm so glad I could help. As for picking zucchini, you can actually start picking baby zucchini when they're as small as a pencil. And of course you can also even eat the blossoms.<br /><br />When zucchini and other summer squash get really big (which they often have a tendency to do overnight when you're not looking) they usually end up tasting bland and watery. Sometimes the texture gets rubbery, too.<br /><br />Somewhere in between is perfect - usually about 6 to 8 inches long.<br /><br />Enjoy your bounty! :)Farmgirl Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-32726099139101137572012-06-24T17:56:30.402-05:002012-06-24T17:56:30.402-05:00Thanks for the tips and recipe! :)Thanks for the tips and recipe! :)Farmgirl Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-39420912483385650882012-06-23T16:26:58.771-05:002012-06-23T16:26:58.771-05:00I am new to growing vegetables, but I must say I a...I am new to growing vegetables, but I must say I am enjoying it very much. I am growing zucchini and squash. I would like to know when to pick. How big should the zucchini be for me to pick? Thank You. I love this blog. It has helped me so much.<br /><br />Sandra <br />Mllen, GAGrandma Sandyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01679061295163740029noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-65903011900045353022012-06-16T18:10:12.674-05:002012-06-16T18:10:12.674-05:00Heck, I don't even blanch mine. I just slice ...Heck, I don't even blanch mine. I just slice it semi-thick (or maybe that should be semi-thin!) and wrap it in brown (natural) parchment paper then stuff it inside a ziplock bag, force out the air and chuck it into the freezer. Done deal. <br /><br />I have an easy, good, playful recipe which uses both of these wonderful squash and I'll put it below. BTW, diatomaceous earth is great stuff. Been using it myself for a long time. I did, however, manage to kill off two beautiful pineapple sage plants which I'd been babying for a whole dang summer. Now I have to start over with those because I'm not giving up. I'm actually using them in my front yard because the foliage is gorgeous in the autumn. <br /><br />Here's the recipe. You can vary it any way you like, doesn't matter to me! The only veggie that doesn't really work in this is tomato.<br /><br />CLEAN OUT YOUR GARDEN STIR-FRY<br /><br />3 small zucchini<br />3 small yellow squash (crook necked)<br />1 large onion or a couple of bunches of green onions (tops and all)<br />1 large green pepper (yellow, orange or red work fine too, but they are sweeter so I prefer the green in this recipe)<br />1 TBSP dried parsley<br />2 TBSP (or more to taste) Italian seasoning (we were using Watkins brand for a long time, but they don't make it anymore. Also I wanted something organic, so I went to Mountain Rose Herbs.com and bought their Mediterranean Seasoning and it's nearly identical).<br /><br />I use just a titch of freshly ground allspice sometimes and it adds a little extra zest to the dish.<br /><br />Use your favorite oil, homemade butter or lard, bacon grease - whatever - to lightly brown whatever selection of veggies you choose to use. In the meantime, boil up some spaghetti until it is cooked through but not pasty. When the noodles are done, add to the browned veggies and stir. Done.<br /><br />The oil/grease serves as the "liquid" for this and it doesn't take much, maybe 1/4 cup or so.<br /><br />**You can add some hunks of cooked leftover meat if you wish, but we generally use this as a side dish. I have made it with chunks of baked or roasted chicken and it's good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-63599967578545264162012-06-14T13:21:54.195-05:002012-06-14T13:21:54.195-05:00I just read recently that summer squash, zucchini,...I just read recently that summer squash, zucchini, and cucumbers have male and female flowers. It is normal for the male flowers to fall off. You can tell a female flower by looking under it....you will see a bulge which will be the vegetable forming. You could pick the male flowers before they fall off, batter them and fry them. They are really tasty. If you aren't getting enough pollination by bees then you can hand pollinate with a soft artist brush. Take the pollen from the male stamens and brush it on the female stamens. Hope this helps. We live in the Missouri Ozarks and so far it looks like a bumper crop of summer and zucchini squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, okra, green beans, shelly beans, hot peppers, and eggplant coming on. We don't use pesticides either so hopefully the organic potions we mix up will work on the bugs this year. We created a wonderful raised garden this year, too, and mulched it with sawdust. Seems to be working great! Holds the moisture...another must for a good squash crop. Happy gardening!Nondusnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-42480799789398707932012-06-06T07:11:22.939-05:002012-06-06T07:11:22.939-05:00Your zucchini crop sounds unfortunately like mine ...Your zucchini crop sounds unfortunately like mine for the past 3 years that I have tried to grow them. I have tried everything, including moving the mounds around in my garden, but like you, I don't use pesticides, and there haven't been many bees around in previous years. However, I learned to use the squash blossoms in recipes, so it wasn't a total loss. This year I bought plants at the farm store as well as starting from seeds, and amazingly, I am getting a bumper crop. Every day I harvest several from my 3 hills. So persevere!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-19735257866638927332011-08-31T12:44:30.832-05:002011-08-31T12:44:30.832-05:00wow everyone awncered all my questionswow everyone awncered all my questionscarolnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-90770312101691230542011-08-18T12:40:44.105-05:002011-08-18T12:40:44.105-05:00Amy,
For a direct link to the conversation thread ...<b>Amy,<br />For a direct link to the conversation thread about how to use your defrosted grated zucchini on the Farmgirl Fare Facebook page, <a href="http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=198309740229702&id=139570972762244" rel="nofollow">click here</a>.</b>Farmgirl Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-47666369366915609662011-08-10T14:57:04.396-05:002011-08-10T14:57:04.396-05:00Hi Amy,
I just posted your question on the Farmgir...<b>Hi Amy,</b><br />I just posted your question on the Farmgirl Fare Facebook page, and there are already several replies:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmgirl-Fare/139570972762244?v=wall" rel="nofollow"><b>http://www.facebook.com/pages/Farmgirl-Fare/139570972762244?v=wall</b></a><br /><br />It sounds like you can't go wrong either way. Hope this helps! :)Farmgirl Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-78495090371445679912011-08-10T13:58:43.872-05:002011-08-10T13:58:43.872-05:00Hello! I have a zucchini bread recipe that calls ...Hello! I have a zucchini bread recipe that calls for 2 cups of shredded zucchini. So, I shredded my extra fresh zucchini in 2 cup portions and froze. I just took some out to make zucchini bread and once I have drained the water, I have about 3/4 cup. Do I use more frozen zucchini to equal 2 cups or do I use just the contents of the bag, knowing that it was 2 cups before I froze it? Hope this makes sense. I really appreciate the help.Amy Bruetthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11413840450560397118noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-90021165291757291622011-07-05T13:33:35.926-05:002011-07-05T13:33:35.926-05:00956330a4-8bbf-11e0-ba49-000bcdcb5194,
I have to co...<b>956330a4-8bbf-11e0-ba49-000bcdcb5194,</b><br />I have to confess I've taken a break from planting summer squash, but next year I'm determined to grow some, and before those nasty squash bugs even show up, I'll be liberally dousing the plants and surrounding soil with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/redirect.html?ie=UTF8&location=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fie%3DUTF8%26x%3D10%26ref_%3Dnb_sb_noss%26y%3D20%26field-keywords%3Dfood%2520grade%2520diatomaceous%2520earth%26url%3Dsearch-alias%253Dgarden&tag=farmgirlfare-20&linkCode=ur2&camp=1789&creative=390957" rel="nofollow"><b>food grade diatomaceous earth</b></a>.<br /><br />This totally natural powder (it's made from fossilized diatoms and is even safe to eat) has numerous uses around the farm and garden, including as an organic pest control for both hard and soft shelled creatures.<br /><br />We buy it in <a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B001M11Q04/farmgirlfare-20" rel="nofollow"><b>50-pound bags</b></a> and feed it to the animals as a natural wormer and health supplement.<br /><br />In the garden, I use it to deter everything from sow bugs to blister beetles - and have high hopes that it will help with the squash bugs! :)Farmgirl Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04851855517852917202noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-67533846863137683732011-05-31T14:52:58.858-05:002011-05-31T14:52:58.858-05:00did you ever find any thing to help with the squas...did you ever find any thing to help with the squash bugs they are invading..Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12997259.post-5163956127274296342011-05-30T12:06:45.900-05:002011-05-30T12:06:45.900-05:00I take my sliced green tomatoes. Lay them on a fla...I take my sliced green tomatoes. Lay them on a flat surface and freeze them. Then I place them in ziplock baggies and store them in the freezer. They fry up nice and you can't even tell the difference whether they are fresh or frozen. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com