GardenSpotlight

What to find at Running Creek Farm's market tent today: Mediterranean Squash Zucchini Yellow Summer Squash Kirby Cucumbers - just a few this week...more next week Zucchini Flowers Cannas (Plants) Bedding Plants Container Gardens

BATTER - DIPPED FRIED ZUCCHINI Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1750,155180-224205,00.html Content Copyright © 2012 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 1/4 c. beer 1 1/3 c. flour 2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese 1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley pinch of freshly minced basil (optional) 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tbsp. oil 2 egg yolks, slightly beaten 2 egg whites, stiffly beaten oil grated Parmesan cheese Allow the beer to stand at room temperature for 45 minutes. In a large bowl, combine flour, Parmesan cheese, parsley, salt and garlic powder. Add oil, egg yolks and beer. Beat until smooth. Fold in beaten egg whites. Pour oil into a deep pan to 2 inches. Heat to 375°F. Dip zucchini slices into batter. Fry 3 to 4 at a time. Turn once and fry until golden brown and crisp. Drain on paper towels. Serve while still warm, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese. Cooks.com

We've been harvesting a light green Mediterranean squash out of our greenhouse for a while now, but this week we've started picking zucchini and yellow summer squash out of our field as well.  Customers have come to the greenhouse in the past to buy squash plants and always comment on how many squash they are overrun with.  So much so that their neighbors hide when they see them ;-) ....just kidding.  I've also recently written an article on growing squash for our local paper, and I will post that once the article has been published next week.  For now, let the recipes begin.  Da-ta-da....!!! My Mom’s Summer Squash with Rice              ……an old Sicilian recipe   8 medium summer squash, either zucchini, yellow or other, split in half lengthwise, then cut into ¾” slices 2 medium or 1 large yellow or sweet onions, roughly chopped 1 -28 oz can peeled plum tomatoes with juice or ...

Summertime!   Ahhh…picnics, barbeques, outdoor sports……mosquitoes.   There are many things you can purchase to help fend off those nasty, disease carrying insects.   One of those items is Citronella Oil.   Citronella Oil is produced from Citronella plants, one of which is a type of grass ( Cymbopogon nardus).   There are also Citronella Geraniums or Scented Geraniums, of which the citronella type are also known as Mosquito Plants. Citronella grass is a coarse, clump-forming tropical grass that can grow 5-6 ft tall. The stems are cane-like and the leaves are grayish green and flat; about 3 ft long and about 1 in wide.   It does not spread by runners, as some grasses do, but the clump increases in size as the plant matures.   I did read somewhere that the grass can become quite invasive as it produces a large quantity of seeds, so you may want to check with you local nursery or county extension office prior to planting.   This grass is closely rel...

We are still adding new crops to our sales greenhouse…new marigold colors, new crops of alyssum,   a young coleus crop and new types of basil, to name a few.  The month of June is full of great celebrations; Father’s Day, weddings, graduations. This is a perfect time to assess your landscaping goals and schedule further plantings accordingly for the remainder of the summer and fall seasons.   Many times we have customers come in thinking it is too late to plant in June….not so.  Flowers can be planted throughout the summer, many well into August.  Garden centers are still full of great plants and you will also find larger plants for a greater impact in your garden.   For those of you not wanting to spend time in the garden weeding, or for a lack of planting space, look for container gardens; combination plantings in larger 10” -  20” pots.  Talk about instant gratification!  Vegetables can also be planted in pots successfully...

Garlic Scapes are the stem and seed pot of the garlic bulb.  Garlic is usually planted sometime between September and October.  The cloves are separated from the bulbs, some of the papery skin is rubbed off and the cloves are planted separately, about 10 - 12" apart in rows.  The garlic bulb must go through a period of vernalization, which is basically the cold period through the winter.  This vernalization is necessary for the plant to flower the following season.  However, when producing garlic, we don't want the plant to go to flower, so the scapes which harbor the seed pods are removed while they are still green.  These scapes have the same garlic flavor as the bulbs and are widely used in cooking but only available for a very short period of time.  This year, being that we had such a mild winter and early spring, the scapes are about a month early.  We typically don't harvest them until the beginning of July.  The remaining leaves o...