Nothing says summer harvest quite like yellow squash and zucchini. These sweet, mild veggies are available fresh from the farm all summer long, because unlike most summer produce like eggplant, tomatoes and green chile, which take a long time to grow, summer squash is ready to harvest very quickly. Summer squash makes a great garden vegetable – just watch out for squash bugs. If you see them, Farmer Ric advises picking them off and dropping them in a bucket of water. “Don’t squash the squash bugs,” says Ric, because their scent actually attracts more squash bugs to the area. Once squash gets going, though, the crop is reliable and prolific – if you plant squash in your garden, you can expect to harvest every day during the season.
If any vegetable is going to grow in such abundance, squash is the perfect one. Because of its mild flavor, you can add it to almost any summer recipe to fill out the dish. You can sautee it, grill it, braise it, bake it or eat it raw. Chef Ka’ainoa says the vegetable pairs well with almost anything, but tastes especially great with pork – so next time you cook up some calabacitas, add a little shredded pork to the recipe for an extra pop.
But there’s no need to go crazy – when it comes to summer squash, Chef Ka’ainoa thinks that simpler is sometimes better. He recommends just sauteeing it up with other seasonal vegetables, or grilling it with olive oil and salt. Maybe even throw it on the grill with some beets for a truly unique barbecue.