Squash is a staple of the summer garden. Like tomatoes, beans and eggplant, it’s a vegetable that flourishes in the summer. Growing up, every Wednesday night all summer long my mom served yellow crookneck squash steamed with onions. Yellow squash and corn on the cob were her two favorite vegetables so we got plenty of servings from the yellow end of the vegetable spectrum.
Squash is probably native to the Americas and Southerners have been cultivating summer squash since the first settlers arrived. Tate Tewksbury of Tewksbury Farms says growing squash organically has become more of a challenge lately.
“The squash bugs have really given us fits in the last couple of years,” he told me. He’s trying succession plantings and a few other tricks to see if he can overcome the problems.
His family farm is in Buckhead just outside Madison and he sells his yellow squash at the Chamblee and Midtown Farmers Markets and at Harmony Crossing at Lake Oconee, as well as through madison.locallygrown.net and a Sandy Springs buying club.
He’s decided to stay away from varieties with the traditional crookneck, finding those necks are easy to break in the harvesting.
“People like interesting food, but they don’t like broken or misshapen food. They also like having choices, so we like to provide them with several different varieties of everything we grow,” he said.
One of the varieties Tewksbury is growing is ‘Zephyr,’ a straight-neck variety with a green bottom fading to a yellow body and neck. I’m seeing more and more of these squash at local farmers’ markets. This year Tewksbury is also trying lemon squash, an heirloom variety that produces squash the size, shape and color of a lemon.
Unlike some vegetables which require a little education before someone is willing to give them a try, Tewksbury’s customers know and appreciate yellow squash. His customers include moms looking for produce to turn into baby food and families with kids who appreciate the familiar vegetable.
Squash is one of the most versatile summer vegetables. You can bake it, stuff it, steam it, sauté it, stew it or grill it. And of course you can eat it raw. Tewksbury says his favorite way to eat squash is sautéed with onions, garlic and olive oil. On the farm, extra squash is canned for use in the winter.
When you get your squash home from the market, give it a quick rinse and put it in the refrigerator unless you’ll be cooking it that day. Squash, like other vegetables with high water content, will shrivel if left sitting on your kitchen counter. One pound of summer squash will yield about 3 1/2 cups sliced or chunked, or 4 cups grated.
At local farmers markets
Vegetables and fruit: arugula, beans, beets, blackberries, blueberries, cabbage, cantaloupe, carrots, chard, collards, corn, cucumbers, dandelion, eggplant, fennel, field peas, garlic, herbs, kale, leeks, lettuce, okra, onions, peaches, pea shoots, peppers, potatoes, radishes, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips, watermelon
Cooking demos:
- 9:30 a.m. Saturday, July 16. Chef Kevin Gillespie, Woodfire Grill. Morningside Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.morningsidemarket.com
- 10 a.m. Saturday, July 16. Chef Ford Fry, JCT Kitchen. Peachtree Road Farmers Market, Atlanta. www.peachtreeroadfarmersmarket.com
From local reports
Yellow Squash Tacos
Hands on: 10 minutes Total time: 10 minutes Serves: 4
This recipe comes from Seth Freedman of Ruby Root Connections, market chef for the East Atlanta Village Farmer's Market. It’s a great non-traditional way to use summer squash. Freedman has this tip for knowing you're using the right temperature for sautéing vegetables. He says while the vegetables are cooking, the noises in the pan should sound like a light rainfall. Adjust your heat up or down until you get that same effect. Serve your squash tacos in flour or corn tortillas and garnish with pico de gallo, chopped lettuce and crema Mexicana or sour cream.
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced
1 pound summer squash, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
Kosher salt and pepper
Chopped cilantro, to taste
In a large skillet, heat olive oil to very hot. Add garlic and cumin and heat 30 seconds, then add onion. Cook 1 minute or until onion just starts to become translucent, then add squash. Sauté until squash just starts to become translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in cilantro.
Per serving (filling only): 67 calories (percent of calories from fat, 39), 2 grams protein, 8 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 3 grams fat (trace saturated fat), no cholesterol, 5 milligrams sodium.
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