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A Tragic Tale of Zucchini

August 15, 2017 By marketeditor

 

By Mary Peryea

Last summer, I made an attempt at gardening by planting one zucchini and two tomato plants.  I’m a big fan of tomato sandwiches and all things zucchini, especially moist, luscious zucchini bread.  Well, the tomatoes did okay and I had plenty of sandwiches.  The zucchini, on the other hand, was a great disappointment.

The plant grew and even flowered, but no fruit appeared.  Jim Gupta-Carlson, a local farmer and volunteer with the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, suggested that perhaps my plant had only male flowers, or that maybe the flowers weren’t being pollinated.

I turned to Google and learned that zucchini plants typically have male and female flowers.  The male flowers appear first when the plant is young.  Female flowers appear later and have a young zucchini at the base of the flower.  In order for the fruit to develop, pollen must get from male flowers to female flowers.  This is usually done by bees, but if not, the plant can be hand pollinated.  This involves transferring the pollen via artist paintbrush or q-tip early in the day.  Not being an early riser, I knew this would not work for me and resigned myself to buying zucchini.

Denison Farm by Pattie Garrett

This year, I was determined to grow my own zucchini, come hell or high water.  I purchased a lovely little organic zucchini plant at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market, and planted it, only to see it get eaten by rabbits. I was crushed. However, the Master Gardeners at the market suggested that I might still be able to get some zucchini if I kept the plant in a container.

So I bought a beautiful Black Beauty zucchini plant – actually four of them – to replace my lost one. I have planted them in a large pot, and put it on my deck, safe from the ravages of the bunnies.  It has budded and bloomed.  So far I see only male flowers.  No zucchini in sight.  I know the blossoms and leaves are edible, but I want a zucchini! Preferably, a lot of zucchini.

I’m hoping for a late frost and some zucchini to come.

If you love zucchini as much as Mary Peryea, now is the time to get it at the Saratoga Farmers’ Market: 3-6 p.m. Wednesdays and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at High Rock Park. Also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.

Filed Under: Featured Article, News Tagged With: Gardening, Growing Vegetables, Saratoga Farmers' Market Recipes, Zucchini

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Produce from some of our amazing agriculture vendo Produce from some of our amazing agriculture vendors at today’s market!
Attention granola lovers!! Today is National Grano Attention granola lovers!! Today is National Granola Day. In honor of this, all sales with our friends from @toganola are 10% off this Saturday only! Their granola products are packaged in sustainable packaging and free of gluten, dairy & soy. 

Our winter market runs today from 9:3-1:30 in the Wilton Mall food court. Hope you can make it!

Photo of and provided by @toganola 

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Our new 2023 Freshconnect $2 coupons arrived today Our new 2023 Freshconnect $2 coupons arrived today! For every $5 you spend using your SNAP/EBT card at our market, receive $2 in coupons. FreshConnect bucks can be used to buy: vegetables, meat, milk, eggs, honey, baked items, jams, plants that bear food, and prepared foods that are packed to eat at home. Plus, there’s no cap on issuance! Stop by our information stand to learn more. We’ll be open 9:30-1:30 tomorrow. ❄️🌾

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Interested in growing your business? Farmers’ ma Interested in growing your business? Farmers’ markets are a great way to start networking and finding your customer base. For 45 years, the Saratoga Farmers’ Market has provided a platform for local farmers, artisans, bakers and more build their businesses into what they are today. If you’d like to join our community, please submit your 2023 Summer Vendor application. The link can be found in our bio. Last day to apply is January 31st. DM us here or email me at sfma.manager@gmail.com with any questions!! 

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