The Great Zucchini Strike

My mother is an avid gardener. We moved with the military, but if we had a back yard, she had a garden. She even managed to get roses to grow in the volcanic dirt soil of Hawaii, which is no easy feat.

When I was little, she had a large backyard garden that my grandmother helped her tend. One summer they thought, "Well, if one zucchini plant is great, then SIX is even better!" They planted six, and the bounty of zucchini was endless. Between the two of them, they found every possible use for the vegetable- soups, bread, in main dishes, in place of potatoes in meals, grilled, baked, stewed. By the end of the summer, my father was pushing away his plate saying, "I just can't do this anymore!" I think it was a good ten years before he ate it again.

When Adam suggested planting some in our backyard vegetable garden, I said, "Fine. But only plant two and only if you agree to eat it.." He agreed- and planted more than two.

At our peak last summer, we were getting over six zucchini's a DAY and Adam would asked, "We're having zucchini and what for dinner?" At every meal, even if it came out of a cereal box, the children would question if there was zuc. in it. It was shredding six cups a day and freezing it in the deep freezer. But the end of the summer, the Herd was on strike.

Like, hard-core strike.

The kids would NOT, EVER, eat another zuc. Not in a muffin, in a casserole, in a pan. Not with chicken, not with ham. No zucchini pizza would cross their lips and they banned me from pinning anymore zuc recipes on Pinterest. Peas? Yes, please! Corn? Bring it on! Carrots? Yum! Zuc? NEVER EVER EVER.

Not that I blame then. I was sick of it myself.

Everyone cheered when the last plant died for the season. I got rid of the frozen stuff by offering (so kind! and generous!) to make homemade muffins for the teachers on "snack day." We saved none for ourselves because we are all so stinking sick of it.

But, of course, it's baaaaaack. We have AT LEAST two more plants in the backyard. They have blossoms. I'm considering paying the children $5 to "accidently" weed the plants out of the garden. Unless... anyone want some zucchini?