I Got Mail!

Check out what I got in the mail the other day.

My Aunt sent me a box of goodies from her garden.  We visited her garden last month when we went on vacation.  You can see photos of her lovely garden here.  Inside were:

Giant smiling zucchini!  There were three packed in there, but I didn't find the third until I had unpacked...

these Roma Italian Beans.  I have no idea how to cook these, but they are perfect.  So I will be researching some recipes this week.  Now check out this beautiful bean footage....

These suckers are, I'm not kidding you, at least 10 inches long.  And totally yummy.  The following are photos of where the zucchini ended up.  I apologize in advance for the messy pictures.  Everyone was starving so I could only snap a quick photo and didn't have a chance to clean up.

Welcome to Zucchini Parmesan.  This totally scrumptious recipe can be found at "The Pioneer Woman." There was only one thing I changed in the recipe. I sliced the zucchinis lengthwise instead of into rounds.  I just didn't have time to fry up a bunch of batches of rounds.  I will also add breadcrumbs next time.  

Again, sorry for the crime scene-esque photo, but my husband was ready to snatch the plate. I'm actually surprised his hand isn't in the picture.  Now, onto the beans....I'll keep you posted.

The Ugly Awards

Welcome to the 1st annual Ugly Awards.  As the growing season winds down, we want to take a moment to recognize those who work so tirelessly to make The Ugly what it is.

In the category of Best Non-Producer:

Heirloom Purple

It takes true individualism to ignore the Director and forge one's way to Best Non-Producer.  Despite water, compost, and attention, This heirloom still produced nothing.

Best Mediocre Producer:

San Francisco Fog

There is a tie in the category of Best Mediocre Producer.  Roma and San Francisco Fog.  While they were far from stellar, they did manage to provide some fruit for the Director.  Mostly sandwich material.

At this time The Ugly would like to recognize the Honorable Mention category:

Blue Lake Bean

This Blue Lake Bean continues to fight despite a near death experience.  Record high temperatures nearly took out this hardy bean, unfortunately, it is a bit late in the season for a full come back.  We will watch this up and comer next season. 

Our second to last category is Best Supporting Herb.  This award goes to the herb that produced the greatest harvest and provided the varied performance in terms of flexibility in the culinary arts.  Congratulations to:

Basil

Ocimum basilicum. Not much explanation needed here.  This herb is a true star.

The Best Performance award is our final award.  This goes to the plant that produced the most fruit for the Director and her family.  This plant exceeded The Ugly's expectations and will definitely be invited back to The Ugly for future performances.  Congratulations to:

Current Tomato

The Current Tomato.  This plant continues to produce tiny and flavorful tomatoes that the Director has been using all season.  Another star of The Ugly.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed this years The Ugly Awards.  I look forward to what stars will emerge next season.  As we move into Fall a new cast of characters is sure to emerge, so stay tuned.

News from The Ugly

     Sick.  That is the only way to describe my state right now.  My husband packed up the kids and headed to my brother-in-law's birthday celebration while I slept.  So, the dog and I have been good company for each other today.  

     The last couple of weeks have been a blur around here, with not much time for The Ugly.  A heat wave toasted my beans, but did help the tomatoes to redden up.   My sister and her beautiful family came for a visit and school has started for my oldest daughter and for me.  

     I did want to share this little garden oddity with you.

     The kids picked this tomato off the vine last night and promptly named it "Bob" after the VeggieTales cartoon.  Well, that's all for now, I'm feeling my temperature going back up, so it's back to bed for me.