Fresh cucumbers are sweet, crunchy and refreshing. Dill, mint, fennel and parsley are all herbs that complement and enhance their flavor. A dressing of very fresh, plain yogurt, combined with a little olive oil, crushed garlic and freshly chopped herbs makes a great dish to eat with crusty bread and a good dry white wine. Try both Middle Eastern Garden Oasis and English style Chelsea Prize to experience the differences between crispy cuke cultivars. Whether you choose zucchini, scallop squash or crooknecks, warm daytime weather means it s time to plant summer squash seeds.
Squash plants are easy to grow and produce abundantly over a long season.
Plan to start seeds in a slightly raised mound, like cucumbers. It s especially important to thin young seedlings. Squash plants need ample room to grow and you ll have better results with a few happily spreading healthy plants than a half dozen spindle-thin, puny and unhappy, unthinned specimens. All summer squash plants are heavy bearers, so plan to limit the number of plants to one for every four family members if you don t want to eat squash every day. Try to pick fruits very young when 3-5 inches long.