Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Full Zucchini Moon...


This morning we were up before the sun in order to go to the other ranch to pregnancy test 112 heifers.  We had coffee and rolls and yogurt at 5:00 a.m. and then out the door with the horses loaded in the horse trailer, the insecticide, poking sticks, medicine (just in case), and an extra thermos of coffee.  It was just 44 degrees this morning which felt a bit chilly, but was perfect weather for working livestock.  Before I left in my pick-up truck, I saw the moon setting in the west and so I just had to snap a picture before it went down.  Isn't it lovely?  It doesn't even look real, does it?  It looks like a nice orange round of cheese from this view.  Tonight is actually the night of the the full moon.  The Farmers Almanac says:
Full Sturgeon Moon – August The fishing tribes are given credit for the naming of this Moon, since sturgeon, a large fish of the Great Lakes and other major bodies of water, were most readily caught during this month. A few tribes knew it as the Full Red Moon because, as the Moon rises, it appears reddish through any sultry haze. It was also called the Green Corn Moon or Grain Moon.
Last night Miss Hazel Peach saw the moon as it was rising above the trees near her house, and she told her mommy and daddy, "Moon stuck in the trees! Oh man! Whatarewegonna  do?"  Get the whole story here.  Don't kids think of the best things?

Since it appears that native tribes named the full moons, it is evident that they did not grow many crops or tend gardens because if they did, they would surely call the August Full Moon the Zucchini Moon.  Tonight, I am officially renaming it the Full Zucchini Moon.  We (and everyone I know) have lots of the prolific veggie in every size and shape from perfect cucumber lengths to baseball bat and club widths and lengths.  I've made luscious chocolate-zucchini cake and one of my favorites, zucchini-tomato skillet.   Do you have a favorite zucchini recipe to share?

This family recipe is quick and easy and can be changed up according to your tastes.  

Zucchini-Tomato Skillet

1-2 T. olive oil
1 T. butter
thin sliced onions
thin sliced zucchini
minced garlic
chunks of tomato
fresh chopped basil (or dried)
salt & fresh ground pepper
processed Swiss cheese

I start by heating olive oil and a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet on fairly high heat.  First add the onions and saute them until they are just caramelized and immediately add the zucchini and garlic.  Saute until zukes are tender but not mushy.  Lastly add the tomatoes, basil and salt & pepper.  Saute just a couple minutes and lastly, top the whole mess with a few  slices of processed Swiss cheese.  It melts quickly and deliciously on this dish.  Serve at once from the skillet.  The recipe probably only takes about 10 minutes cooking time to prepare after the slicing and mincing.

Happy Full Zucchini Moon!

May you have warm words on a cold evening,
a full moon on a dark night
and a smooth road all the way to your door.
~Irish Blessing

18 comments:

  1. On my early morning walk today..it sure felt like Fall. I love this picture of the moon, very beautiful..and I love the zuc. wish I had some! ;D

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  2. I love it -- Full Zucchini Moon indeed. And 44 degrees? Wow -- fall is definitely on the way!

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  3. Oh thanks for the heads up! I'm going to be looking out for that zucchini moon tonight!! That zucchini looks so so good!

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  4. Hi Jody! Your moon picture is magic!
    My daughter-in-law made me some zucchini bread. Yum.
    Oh that little Hazel Peach! She's so smart!
    Thank you for your dear prayers, friend.

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  5. Such a beauty and that Hazel P is too funny! What a great vocabulary she has. I guess she is getting big.

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  6. we make a skillet meal with zucchini and ground beef.
    we take a pound of ground sirloin, and saute it with a chopped onion and 2-3 minced garlic cloves. when the meat is cooked, we add zucchini and other summer squash slices and a few tomato slices, salt, pepper and sometimes a little soy sauce! we serve it over rice.

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  7. That is surely one of the loveliest moon pictures I have ever seen. I tried to take a picture of the moon this week here in the north, but it came out looking dinky.

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  8. I watched the moon rise last night, first red, then gold, then silver. Beautiful. So happy to see it set thanks to your lovely photograph as well!

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  9. How pretty!

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  10. It is a beautiful moon, isn't it? We were admiring it the other night.

    blessings,
    Niki

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  11. My goodness, I am so glad that your visiting me today brought me straight to this very post! We have had fabulous moons for nights now, as we did at exactly this time last year! And now I can read all about amazing moons!

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  12. And an Irish blessing at the end as well!

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  13. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  14. A Full Zucchini Moon, you say? I love it ~ and couldn't agree more! We finally have sunshine and the zukes have eXploded. I was working on my own zucchini post when I spotted yours, so I just had to link back here. ThanX for the yummy skillet recipe. I picked some zukezillas today and can't wait to give it a try.

    Hugs,
    diXymiss

    PS: Hazel Peach is already speaking in complete sentences?! My goodness, where does the time go...

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  15. So did they get the moon unstuck?

    Beautiful picture!

    frances

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  16. Your posts are so very interesting. I am an older farm wife who has many of the same chores you have; we have beef cattle but our main source of income is from poultry. That same beautiful moon shines down on us too. I look forward to reading about your activities each day. God bless you, Charlotte

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  17. Well I haven't gotten one zucchini and I had about 6 plants! I'll have to buy it again this year - same as last year and the year before!

    Manuela

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  18. This recipe sounds delicious! I'm swimming in zucchini and can't wait to try it. Love, love, love the Irish blessing too. :)
    Warmly,
    Tracey
    x0x

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