Our garden is going nutso. If you do not have access to a garden, find a farmers’ market in your area, or a community garden. There are bargains out there, and friends too, who are willing to share or take a donation. 

Now, because Fred is a gardener, and he plants everything, I am learning what to do with all these veggies like zucchini. So, let’s start with that veggie. Please don’t tell me to grind it up for zucchini bread. I have done that before at the end of the summer, frozen it, and then thrown it out in the spring when I cleaned out the freezer. I am a sorry case. 

Let me share with you some of my simple recipes. My favorite zucchini source for preparation is the grill. Fred slices it lengthwise down the middle, cleans out the seeds, drizzles olive oil on it, and sprinkles it generously with garlic salt;. then onto the hot grill, where we turn it several times until it is seared and tender. I prefer to slice it thin lengthwise, maybe 5 long slices from one zucchini. Either way ... good food. My next go-to is to cut it up in slices or chunks; fry it with onions and once tender, topping it with cheese. One can add hamburger as well.

Easy. I like easy.

Cucumbers. I learned after I moved to Kansas that folks out here like sliced cukes with onions in a vinegar, sugar, water solution. I don’t remember eating that pickled-type mixture in Wisconsin. I like it. But I have tried sour cream as well. It’s great.

You might try this tomato, onion, cucumber salad. Slice cucumbers chunky, and not sliver thin. Cut up tomatoes in chunks. Dice an onion. Mix it all together and then add fat-free Italian dressing as a marinade. Add black olives? The mixture gets better as it sits covered in the refrigerator. 

Bacon, lettuce, and tomato sandwiches are hard to beat. A friend told me about a new bacon-type product in the bacon section called “Sausage Strips” Or, you might choose the beef strips as well, since they are great for dieters, and for those who do not eat pork.

I think this article is making me very hungry.

If you have not tried Spaghetti Squash, please do. People, you don’t know what you are missing. It can be baked in the oven, however, I prepare it in the microwave. The husk or shell is hard to penetrate, so I zap it in the microwave several minutes to soften the shell. Cut the squash in half, and half again. Clean out the seeds. Put the pieces into the microwave for as long as it takes to cook the squash. Ten minutes maybe? I have two favorite uses. One is to dig out the spaghetti and use it as a base in place of spaghetti noodles. Make a spaghetti sauce and pour it over the top, adding grated cheese. Stick it into the microwave for a minute. Delicious.

My next favorite use is just to dig the spaghetti out of the rind, mix butter or sour cream with it and enjoy. Cheese is always welcome as a topping, right?

Cabbage is a popular summer treat too, believe it or not. I make a slaw, and its good, but I love the cabbage cooked with onions, hamburger, and whatever else you can think of. Mixing in zucchini works as well.  

I couldn’t help myself this week. The garden goods are shouting at me. If you are not a “foodie’ don’t read this article!  

Judi Tabler lives in Pawnee County and is a guest columnist for the Great Bend Tribune. She can be reached at juditabler@gmail.com.