On Being a
Farm Wife
(and other
hazards)
Joyce Bupp
What is it about squash, any
way?
Few vegetables get less
respect, except maybe for egg
plant. But even that has a sort
of gourmet specialty named for
it. Eggplant Parmesan.
Some veggies are so desirable
they get seasonal media cover
age, like when the sweet corn is
ready, which it is. Not to say the
M.M. WEAVER & SON
N Groffdale Rd
Leola, PA 17540
(717)656-2321
MEYERS
IMPLEMENTS, INC.
400 North Antrim Way
Greencastle, PA 17225
(717) 597-2176
SCHREFFLER
EQUIPMENT
Pitman, PA 17964
(717)648-1120
PEOPLE’S SALES MIIICD
& SERVICE FOnSSm
Oakland Mills, PA 17076 - H
(717) 463-2735 DuulifyUj;
public adoration for sweet corn
isn’t deserved, because it’s an
absolutely wonderful food. What
could possibly be better than
freshly-shucked sweet corn,
yanked from the stalk while the
water is coming to a boil on the
stove, cooked up in a few min
utes, then served steaming and
sweet, dripping with butter? Or
just zapped in the husk for a few
LEBANON VALLEY
IMPLEMENT CO.
700 E Linden St
Richland, PA 17087
(717) 866-7518
LAWN CARE OF PA
Martindale, PA
(717)445-4541
D.W.OGG
EQUIPMENT CO.
5149 Cap Stine Rd.
Frederick, MD 21701
(3011473-4250
Westminster, MD
(410)848-4585
minutes in a microwave,
But how much media interest
have you ever seen in squash?
Except maybe a blurb in the food
section. They’re rarely even
mentioned in food store sale ads.
Tomatoes fare better, too.
(Which are not a veggie, but a
fruit.) Though it’s beyond the
realm of my imagination, there
are actually folks who don’t like
tomatoes. Go figure.
Seed catalogs devote large
sections to the myriad of tomato
varieties available, from the
itty-bitty, bite-size ones our
grandson likes to snitch from
the stalk to the giant beefstakes
so large they may give you a
backache to pick. Well, if you
believe catalog hype.
Even beans are in vogue. One
catalog firm, the Vermont Bean
Seed Company, devotes 13 pages
to a fascinating array of beans.
Many of them are heirloom vari
eties, like the Vermont
NORTHEAST
DIST.& EQUIP.
Rt 106
West Clifford, PA 18413
(717) 222-9090
(717) 222-9020
C.J. WONSIDLER
1975 Trumbauersville Rd.
Quakertown, PA 18951
(215) 536-1935
FRANK RYMON&
SONS, INC.
399 Route 31 South
Washington, NJ 07882
(908)689-1464
ECKROTH BROS.
FARM EQUIPMENT
RD #2, Box 24A
New Ringgold, PA 17960
(71/1943-2131
4910 Kemsville Rd.
Orefield, PA 18069
(610) 366-2095
307 Edgar Ave
Bloomsburg, PA 17815
(717) 784-5217
TEST DRIVE
ONE TODAY!
MASSEY-RERGUSON
Cranberry Bean, the Jacob’s
Cattle Bean, and the Black
Turtle Soup Bean. One could
easily devote an entire garden to
beans.
Our garden this year sports a
ten-foot-long row of pole-type
Roma beans, the broad, flat
green bean I prefer for its meati
ness, yields, and taste.
The pole version is a new
experiment with this old
favorite. While the beans are
now just beginning to bear, the
long, vining foliage has already
yanked its support netting
downward and should probably
be growing instead on metal hog
fence.
The once mostly-ignored
broccoli has risen to new popu
larity in recent years on the veg
etable charts. Research findings
that the tasty, green flower-stalk
and its cruciferous cousins are
rich in nutrients with anti-can
cerous properties will likely only
enhance its desirability.
BUt how many people go out
of their way for squash? Huh?
Squash are the Rodney
Dangerfield of the produce
patch, often generating jokes,
jeers, and groans.
Is it because of their unappe
tizing name?
Maintenance Free Railings For
Porches, Decks or Balconies
We have the expertise to design & create a system just to fit your need.
Any Size, Different Styles
vinyl railing systems offer low
C ?C£ce ma j n tenance and durability.
No Rust • Smooth Surfaces Available in
BVHpPi No Paint • Impact Resistant • White
1"™ Ni •No Scraping • Lasting Beauty • Ivory
•UV Stabilized • Non Fading Colors • Cray
Quality Workmanship 7| 7-354-0524 \ vinyl railing ,
S2SLSSE*. "•» « liiiil-"- T --"fisi.
Lancaster Farming, Saturday, August 1, 1998-B3
Is it their overeagerness to
grow into baseball bats and
bowling pins?
Squash, as a kid, meant
sandwiches of them, sliced and
prepared by what has now
become a nutritional f-word.
Fried.
We still enjoy them that way
occasionally, but consume far
more tender young squash thin
ly sliced in circles, with a little
sliced onion, slivers of red bell
pepper, garlic powder, and
Italian seasoning, sauteed
together gently until tender in a
few tablespoons of mild salsa.
Practically no calories.
With that in mind, I planted
three hills of hybrid yellow
crooknecks and green zucchini.
Mother Nature threw in her own
two hills of yellow squash volun
teers, one of gigantic proportions
thriving in the compost pile.
We are literally being
squashed this summer.
Maybe squash just need bet
ter PR. or their own spin doctor.
A four-year-old friend of our
has the right idea. Unable to
pronounce “zucchini,” he instead
calls them “bikinis.”
That name change might not
get squash any more respect
But it would surely generate
more interest