This week in the garden - #13

Squash gathered from the garden today. The yellow ones are lemon squash. All the rest are types of zucchini.

This has been the Week of the Zucchini in the garden. The summer squash, especially the zucchini, have started coming in fast and furious. You know, there's just no stopping that zucchini once it gets a head of steam!  

We're eating as fast as we can - batter-fried zucchini, stir-fried zucchini, steamed zucchini - but we just can't get ahead of it. So yesterday I broke out the old zucchini nut bread recipe and baked a couple of loaves. We had this delicious bread for breakfast this morning.

You probably have your favorite zucchini nut bread recipe, but this is the one that I use and it works well for me. 

Zucchini nut bread

Ingredients

• 3 cups sifted plain flour

• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon baking soda

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

• 3 eggs

• 2 cups sugar

• 1 cup cooking oil

• 1 tablespoon vanilla

• 2 cups grated unpared zucchini

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (I actually use a full cup.)

• 1 teaspoon flour

   Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Sift together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt and baking powder. (Full disclosure: I use self-rising flour and I think it works just as well.)

3. Beat eggs well and add sugar and oil to them. Add everything to the dry ingredients and continue stirring.

4. Add vanilla and blend well.

5. Stir in the zucchini.

6. Combine walnuts and 1 tsp. of flour and stir this into the batter.

7. Divide the batter between two well-greased (I use Pam.) 8 1/2" x 4 1/2" loaf pans.

8. Bake for about an hour and 15 minutes or until the bread tests done.

9. Cool in the pans on racks for about 10 minutes before removing from pans. Cool loaves on racks.

I'm going to have to find some other ways to cook this bounty and probably start foisting it on my neighbors soon. I know that there are a few squash-lovers among them.

Elsewhere in the garden this week:

Some critters believe that hummingbird feeders are not just for hummingbirds. I sometimes see green anoles taking a sip from mine. This happened especially during last year's interminable and unbearably hot summer. Some butterflies make use of the feeders, too.

This is a Question Mark butterfly that I caught in an act of hummingbird nectar thievery today. I find that butterflies of the Brush-footed or Nymphalid family, as the Question Mark is, are the ones that most often visit the feeders.

The canna, 'Lucifer,' a real favorite of mine, is again bringing light to my garden.

And speaking of light, don't forget that tonight is the night of the Supermoon when the full moon will appear even bigger and brighter than usual because it is the closest it will be to the earth all year. It should be clear tonight and she will be putting on quite a show. Go outside and wave to her!

Oh, and lest I forget, happy Cinco de Mayo and go Astros!

Happy gardening.