An acorn-brown stain is creeping up the dying corn stalks…every day a little higher. Today it seems to me, a poison…sapping all the life from summer. The cherry tomatoes hang heavy on the vine like Christmas ornaments on a tree. Their feathery hands reach out and catch the first falling, yellow leaf from the stand of young saplings guarding our garden. It hangs like gold tinsel on the decorated branches. I snatch up the offending piece of gold and stare at it madly. I am a semicolon, standing here between summer blaze and autumn haze…afraid to stay, afraid to go. I squint my eyes against the ache in my chest, and the tilting world is freeze-framed with an edge, gilded, by my blurring vision. I stand here wishing that this storybook day could be captured forever…a scene from a summer snow globe…gold dust shaken up and flying loose by playful zephyrs and childish tanned feet…the stationary sun swinging forever in a domed sky.

Three bushels of apples wait to be sauced. Tomatoes split their skin..so full of the vine..needing to be juiced. Stacks of schoolbooks lay opened on the table…like yawning caves waiting to be explored, casting resentful looks my way, knowing how eager the children are to start. My firstborn man-child just turned six years old. I remember the hot August day he arrived. Time passed so quickly. Now here he is… as familiar to me as my own face, and yet a stranger…still leaving stretch marks, only now upon my soul.

  It is the time of year that throws me harshly in the spin cycle and tumbles me about until I’ve gone and lost my senses. Then just before I go insane…it gently lifts me up and hangs me out to dry. And the breeze softly irons the wrinkles out.

Will I ever be a grown-up woman who says “Hello!”…or will I always be mopping my eyes, saying “Goodbye.”? Or maybe it is in becoming a child. Little ones are always looking forward…so eager for the next adventure…for such is the Kingdom of Heaven.

Words from a strange and quiet man, long dead, run through my mind…”Wisdom is to know and taste that is present but is not known to those who, because they are restless and because they are discontent and because they complain, cannot comprehend it. The present good reality is God. Gustate et videte. (taste and see)”.*

Will my children remember me as “She Who Stood In Her Garden Mourning Summer” or will they remember me tasting and seeing Him Who Is God, and present, now? I cannot say that I have arrived, but I have a vision of it…and that’s a start. A start on the journey of becoming “She Who Laughs At The Days To Come” (Proverbs 31: 25) and “She Who Greeted Every Season”. A journey of a thousand miles always begins with the first step.

I stand up, straight…and the summer snow globe falls.

*Thomas Merton

H! the old swimmin’-hole! whare the crick so still and deep

Looked like a baby-river that was laying half asleep,

And the gurgle of the worter round the drift jest below

Sounded like the laugh of something we onc’t ust to know

Before we could remember anything but the eyes

Of the angels lookin’ out as we left Paradise.











Oh! the old swimmin’-hole! In the happy days of yore,

When I ust to lean above it on the old sickamore,

Oh! it showed me a face in its warm sunny tide

That gazed back at me so gay and glorified,

It made me love myself, as I leaped to caress

My shadder smilin’ up at me with sich tenderness.

Thare the bullrushes growed, and the cattails so tall,

And the sunshine and shadder fell over it all;

And it mottled the worter with amber and gold

Tel the glad lilies rocked in the ripples that rolled;

And the snake-feeder’s four gauzy wings fluttered by

Like the ghost of a daisy dropped out of the sky,

Or a wownded apple-blossom in the breeze’s controle

As it cut acrost some orchard to’rds the old swimmin’-hole.

~By James Whitcomb Riley.

( some portions edited out)

  I have a love/hate relationship with zucchini. I tenderly watch my plants grow with much affection and when I finally am able to pick the first one…I excitedly do the” organic zucchini dance”…which isn’t really that cool, even thought it might sound like it. It mainly consists of me wiping sweat out of my eyes with one hand, and wildly waving the *first * zucchini around with the other hand, while yelling at the kids…”Lookie, Lookie! Our first zucchini!” They sorta smile timidly…having this look like…”oh,yes…isn’t this the time of year when we start eating weird green things for every meal?”. But, they usually muster up a little enthusiasm since its finally time to pull something out of the garden other than weeds. Then…three weeks later…I start doing the “organic zucchini grumble” which isn’t that cool either. It mainly consists of me ungratefully muttering something like…”And how can I think of another way to fix you and feed you to my family, you weird-green-ball bat?” But, there is still more love than hate in this vicarious relationship…and so every year there is another plant added to the growing number in our garden.

Here are some of the new zucchini recipes I affectionately added to my vintage orange recipe box under “Vegetables”. I am thinking that I need a new index card and section for zucchini alone. And thank you to my dear family who willingly try every greenish dish set in front of them…and often, lick it clean…even when the same ingredient has shown up on the platter for several days running. Its not “just eating more zuccs from the garden”, folks. Its “dining on local, seasonal, home-grown, organic produce fixed in a number of palate-pleasing ways”. (wiggle eye-brows) Tell your family THAT next time.

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Eating zucchini raw is the most beneficial, of course. But, I will confess, I’m not real fond of it that way. Its not quite crunchy enough…gives me a little bit of the shivers. However, I did try a Zucchini Taco Salad on my family that was quite delicious and every bit of it was gobbled up. I substituted small diced zucchini chunks for the lettuce in a typical taco salad recipe. Then added black beans, hamburger, red onion, shredded cheddar, tomatoes, etc. I tossed it with a dressing of olive oil, honey, vinegar, cumin, chili pepper, and salt. I didn’t know how it would go over and if there would be a lot of it left over or not, so I didn’t mix in the tortilla chips. I just served the salad and we ate it, salsa-style, with the chip dipped in the salad. I let Seth and the kids sprinkle over their own avocados and cilantro. This was a great success…even my picky eater asked for more. And, whew, I used up a whole nice-sized zucchini for this. Nice.

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  The Zucchini Tacos were another big hit with the children. I grated, salted, and sautéed a medium-largish zucchini with an onion, and some fresh mushrooms, that I happened to have on hand. I then transferred the zucchini mixture to a colander to drain while I lightly fried some corn tortillas in coconut oil. I spooned out the sautéed zucchini in the corn tortillas and added a little red cabbage slaw for a nice crunch. The red cabbage slaw consisted of chopped red cabbage and sour cream, with salt to taste. We all loved these…and just writing about them makes me hungry for them…which is a miracle of sorts, since I.am.very.tired.of.looking.at.zucchini.

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Before I forget…use sautéed zucchini and onion in an omelet also…very tasty.

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The next thing I tried on my dear family was Zucchini Pizza. This was also very easy and mmmmm’ed over…something every mama l.o.v.e.s to hear…can I hear an “amen!” to that? I started with a whole wheat pizza crust that I brushed with two crushed garlic cloves and a little olive oil before baking. I baked it 10-12 min ’til it was starting to brown around the edges. This will make your house smell simply wonderful…so try not to devour the crust when you get it out of the oven before you even finish the pizza. I topped it with lightly sautéed, salted, grated zucchini, onions, and mushrooms. (always let your sautéed mixture drain a bit in a colander before adding it to your recipe…nobody likes soggy) I added fresh mozzarella (I’m sure shredded would be delicious too) and stuck the whole thing back into the oven until the cheese melted. We cleaned it up. It was simply wonderful. Again…so nice to see those big zucchinis d.i.s.a.p.p.e.a.r.

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As you can see, I do a lot of grating and sautéing. I started doing this as my children seemed to have an extreme aversion to sliced rounds of zucchini. It was just too weird of a shape too eat. Even my hubby started enjoying zucchini more after I started grating. Somehow little flecks of green are easier to handle than big scary rounds of green. Any of these recipes would work fine w/rounds if that is how you like to serve your zucchini.

Okay, on with the recipes.

I served Zucchini Pasta last week which most of the family enjoyed. Again, I added grated, lightly sautéed zucchini and onion to a whole pan of whole wheat Penne pasta. I tossed the whole pot with a little extra olive oil and sprinkled it heavy with fresh Parmesan before serving. I added tomatoes to the top of my serving…but not all of my kiddos would have been real happy with that…so I left it up to the individual. I loved this…but then, again, give me a plate of carbs and I’m always happy. I think this would be good with grated raw zucchini also. Give it a try and let me know how you like it.

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I also started the season out with four different Zucchini Quiche recipes I wanted to try. I have only tried two of them…and *shock * I’m actually running out of zucchini…so I may have to save a couple for next year. (Do I hear a faint “Hurray!” from my family?) The one I fixed tonight for dinner was unusual and memorable…a rather strange blending of flavors…as well as tasty, so I will share it with you.

Zucchini Quiche with Cheesy Almond Crust.

Crust:

1 c. whole wheat flour

2/3 c. shredded cheese

¼ c. ground/chopped almonds

½ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. Paprika

6 TB of olive oil.

Press into 9 in. pie pan and bake at 400 for 10 minutes.

Sauté in a small amount of butter:

2 c. of sliced or grated zucchini

1 onion

1 garlic clove

Spoon into crust.

Mix together:

1 c. raw cream

1 c. raw milk

2 eggs

½ c. of shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese

Pour over zucchini mixture.

Bake at 375 for 45-60 min. Until set on top and brown on edges.

I thought the amount of oil in the crust was a little over the top, so I tried to mix it up with just 4 TB of oil…but to no avail. Too dry. It needed the extra oil. Maybe I could have done the ¼ c. of oil and added an egg? That might have held it all together. Maybe next time. The crust, of course, was wonderful.

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I know its been hot, but I have to add this Cream of Zucchini Soup. So trick yourself. Turn your air conditioner to 65, sit and shiver at the dinner table, while sipping on this bowl of comfort.

Cream of Zucchini Soup:

3-4 c. unpeeled zucchini

1 onion

¼ c. butter.

Sauté lightly.

Add:

3c. chicken broth

½ tsp. Salt (I always add more to taste)

¼ tsp. pepper

Cook 15 min or til veggies are tender.

Move to blender. Puree. Move back to pan.

Add:

1 c. cream.

(Sigh). Bliss out. Then go turn your AC back to its normal setting. For a more gourmet version of this,

check out this recipe on here. (scroll down to end of post) It looks absolutely scrumptious. I haven’t tried it yet, but I want to.

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Okay, girls…put away your sugar bowls. Here is a yummy version of your traditional Zucchini Bread without its belly-extending amounts of bad-for-you ingredients. I tried a couple different recipes and finally found a keeper…with a few of my own tweaks.

Zucchini Bread:

Mix together:

3c. whole wheat flour

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Baking soda

½ tsp salt

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp baking powder

Stir together:

1 c. honey

¾ c. oil

2 c. shredded zucchini

2 eggs

Add to dry ingredients.

Mix in well, but don’t over mix.

Pour into two well-oiled, or well-buttered, loaf pans.

Bake at 350 for 45-60 min.

I first tried melted butter in this recipe. But, after sitting out for day…instead of becoming more moist, it became dryer and grainier. Ew. Next I tried organic expeller-pressed olive oil. The moisture content was great, but all I could taste was olives. Olives and zucchini don’t mesh. Trust me on that one. I didn’t try coconut oil because I was saving the little bit I had left for my Liberian son’s and their nightly ritual of “getting greased up”. My only option then was the safflower oil that I had in my cupboard. I used that and got two thumbs up from all my family. You could use organic canola too, if that what you have on hand.

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Believe it or not…I.still.have.more.zucchini.recipes. But this post is no longer “teeny, weenie”and actually rather extensive. I believe I have quite exhausted the topic and better sign off while I’m still sane. So to all you teeny, weenie, zucchini-eatin’ dreamies out there…here’s a toast to you and all your future greenish dishes. Enjoy!

“We shall come and sing aloud

on the heights of Zion,

we shall be radiant

over the goodness of the Lord,

over the grain,

the wine,

and the oil,

and over the young of the flock

and the herd;

Our lives shall be like watered gardens

and we shall languish no more.

Our young women shall rejoice

in the dance,

and the young men

and the old men

shall be merry.

For HE will turn our mourning

into joy;

HE will comfort us

and give us gladness

for sorrow.

HE will cause our souls

to feast on HIS abundance

and we shall be satisfied

with HIS goodness.”

Paraphrased in first person

ESV Jeremiah 31:12-14

May our sons in their youth

be like plants full grown,

our daughters like corner pillars

cut for the structure of a palace;

May our granaries be full,

providing all kinds of produce;

may our sheep bring forth thousands

and tens of thousands in our fields;

May our cattle be heavy with with young,

suffering no mishap or failure in bearing;

May there be no cry of distress in our streets!

Blessed are the people

to whom such blessings fall!

Blessed are the people

whose God is the Lord!

Psalm 144:12-15

We sent him on a treasure hunt to find his dime store birthday gifts. The children and I laughed long at all his feigned surprise and confusion, with the not-so-hard-to-figure-out-clues thought up by little minds. The older children scolded Zeke and Izzy for blurting out the hiding places and the contents of the gifts, and then, ducked their heads, shy, at their Papa’s thankful expressions.

   I watched it all behind my lens …smiling at their excited chatter…. praying that such joyful giving would stick fast to the skin of their souls like super glue…knowing that its sometimes hard to find…that gladness of living for another’s happiness. And it seemed to me that this was the treasure hunt that we all are really on.

I watch my husband’s stride,long, slow to match the pump of shorter legs. I think of birthdays gone by…other days of celebrations for this dear man of mine. Some sweet like summer wine…some soured by failed attempts to crack the code…always wanting to know the secret of unlocking each others hearts.

    We’ve done a little living, and have a little more to go, Lord willing…though time has flown so fast, it seems sometimes, its nearly spent. If I were to say that we had found the treasure we were looking for when we were starting out, I might be lying. But on this glorious hunt, it may be that we have found something more.

Adventure is in the eye of the beholder, just as beauty is. Sometimes there’s nothing more rewarding or adrenaline-boosting….than knowing a right choice was made for the sake of the one you love. Its the treasure hunt in the upside-down Kingdom…where instead of finding yourself, you lose your life for another.

Its Seth’s birthday…but the sweetest gift of all was given to me…the sitting, contented, across the table from him…a glass of wine and an ice cream cake between us…a passel of noisy children begging for more…and the quiet knowing that there isn’t any place I’d rather be.