Saturday, June 09, 2007

Patty Pan Squash or Little Flying Saucers

Today, I harvested my first patty pan squash. I believe this variety is called Benning's Green, but what it really looks like is an edible flying saucer. I have been tempted in past years to carve some windows or doors, but have resisted. This year, when I get inundated with squash, I might carve one.

I always feel guilty when I waste food. There are so many people who don't have enough that tossing perfectly good produce in the compost or letting it rot on the vine just makes me swoon with remorse. There are not any of those cool, food sharing programs here. What usually happens is that you share or trade produce with others who have plenty, but may not have the same vegetables as you. Sometimes it gets into the right hands.

After my late afternoon tour of my garden, I know that tomorrow I will have to pick rattlesnake beans and start pickles. I have lots of small cucumbers. I don't have dill heads with seeds yet, so these pickles will be Mr. W's Grandmother's Sweet Pickles. I will take pictures and try to keep up with what I do for a second part of the Canning 101 series.

I also have my first sunflower and some zinnias. I'll take a picture tomorrow.

6 comments:

Melora said...

That is a very cool looking squash!

We saw a sign today for free produce, and then passed a pickup parked by the side of the road, full of boxes of vegis. We might have stopped, too, if we were more used to this sort of thing.

mull-berry said...

I bought some of that squash at a farmer's market just yesterday! Now I know what it's called! Any advice on how to cook it?

Jennifer said...

I'd like to read about patty pan preparation, too. I love every squash I've ever tried, and this one looks so interesting!

You have a deep freezer, right? Is there any vegetable you grow that doesn't freeze well?

Envious of your harvests already ...

Garden State Kate said...

My DH loves growing these, but nobody likes to eat them so far...recipes
would be great! I hate to see them get wasted!

Anonymous said...

got any recipe's for that squash?
I would like a recipe also

Gena in NC said...

Their unique shape lends them to stuffing. Try this:

Baked stuffed pattypan squash

Ingredients:

* 4 Pattypan Squash, washed
* 1 Onion, chopped
* 1/2 lb. lean sausage, chopped
* 3/4 lb. Parsley, chopped
* 1 1/2 cups Bread Crumbs
* 1/2 teaspoon Pepper
* 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cut squash in half (horizonally) and hollow.
3. Chop onion finely.
4. Crumble the sausage into a pan and cook until no longer pink.
5. Remove sausage from pan and set aside.
6. Add onion to the pan with sausage fat and cook about 2 minutes or until soft.
7. Mix together in a bowl the sausage, onion, parsley, bread crumbs, pepper and 2 tablespoons water.
8. Divide mixture among squash halves.
9. Brush the tops of the stuffed squash with olive oil.
10. Place squash in single layer in baking dish just large enough to hold all of the squash.
11. Fill baking dish with 1/2 inch water.
12. Cover and bake 30 minutes.
13. Uncover and continue baking about 15 minutes or until stuffing is browned and squash tender.

Serves 4