April 25, 2011----National Zucchini Day

That's right, National Zucchini Day. This popular cultivated squash is part of the summer squash family and is an early garden favorite in West Virginia. But what do you really know about the quirky zucchini?

Did you know?

• Zucchini can grow to nearly a meter (almost 40 inches) but usually picked under 8 inches in length while the seeds are soft and immature. Mature zucchini are oftern fibrous and not desirable for cooking.
• Although a member of the cucumber family, zucchini is usually served cooked and can be prepared steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed, baked, barbecued, fried or used in recipes as an ingredient.
• The zucchini flower can be eater stuffed or deep fried.
• For cooking purposes, zucchini is treated as a vegetable but botanically the zucchini is an immature fruit.
• Typical zucchini were developed in Italy in the late 19th century.
• Zucchini should be stored not longer than three days and are prone to chilling damage.
• In Mexico, the zucchini flower is used for soup (sopa de flor de calabaza) and used in quesadillas.
• In France, zucchini is a key ingredient in ratatouille, a stew of summer fruits and vegetables prepared in olive oil and cooked for an extended time over low heat.
• In Turkey, zucchini is the main ingredient of a popular dish called mucver; zucchini pancakes.
• In Bulgaria, zucchini are fried and then served with a dip made from yogurt, garlic and dill.

In the United States, zucchini is widely grown in home and commercial gardens. In May, you'll find this crop at your local farmer's market (including Inwood, Capitol and Logan). Zucchini is low in calories (approximately 15 calories per 100g) and contains folate, potassium, manganese and Vitamin A. Celebrate the day by making a loaf of zucchini bread...here's a recipe from FoodNetwork's Paula Deen. What's your favorite family zucchini recipe?

Zucchini Bread

• 3 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 4 eggs, beaten
• 1/3 cup water
• 2 cups grated zucchini
• 1 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 cup chooped walnuts or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine flour, salt, nutmeg, baking soda, cinnamon and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice. Mix wet ingredients into dry, add nuts and fold in. Bake in 2 standard loaf pans, sprayed with nonstick spray, for 1 hour, or until a tester comes out clean. Alternately, bake in 5 mini loaf pans for about 45 minutes.

Let Freedom Ring......

After crowding the lobby of the hotel in Baltimore it was amazing how so many people could load 7 tour busses and head out but we did, on time. As Danielle mentioned yesterday, I'm on the "Crabs" bus but we are certainly high tech crabs with a new Twitter page this evening, iPads and our own mobile internet port. One of the great things about this bus tour is that we are truly a school on wheels sharing stories about agriculture operations from California to Arizona, Toronto, Canada, Massachusetts and West Virginia plus all points in between! We've had breakouts about technology, special events and staffing with lots more to cover in the next two days. It is a creative and entrepreneurial group!

Our first stop was Cactoctin Mountain Orchard in Thurmont, MD. A diverse orchard, vegetable grower and farm stand, we were treated to snacks prepared in their bakery, an explanation of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) practices by the local Extension agent and a view of their extensive composting operation done in conjunction with local and county officials. Though foggy and rainy, it was easy to see this operation is popular with families. Their most unique crop--kale!

Our next stop was to Hollabaugh Brothers Fruit Farm & Market in Biglerville, PA. This extensive family operation includes wholesale fruit, orchard operations and a retail stand. They partner with a local history provider who has developed an Underground Railroad feature and we entered the Civil War period in the middle of the orchard complete with an actor. Very nice touch and a great example of collaboration. Their farm stand was especially prepared for our group (they are usually closed this time of year) and featured an extensive learning room with beekeeper displays and information on their IPM practices. We walked up to the wholesale building in the cold storage area where we were treated to a terrific lunch ending with peaches from the farm. We've arrived in Philadelphia and browsed through the Reading Terminal Market. Tomorrow Danielle heads to Shady Brook Farm, Terhune Orchards, and Johnsons Corner Farm. I'm off to Terhune orchards, Shady Brook Farm, DelVal College Market and Rose Bank Winery. We'll rendevouz in the afternoon at the Liberty Bell Park and celebrate our country's root right before dinner in Downtown Philly and the Super Bowl...wonder where we'll end up and who we'll be rooting for? Check back tomorrow for our activities and find out whose side we are on.

We're Heading Out!

That's right we are heading to Baltimore and Philadelphia...post ice/snow storm it appears. New Marketing Specialist Danielle Kisamore and I are slated to attend the annual North American Farmer Direct Marketing & Agritourism Association (www.nafdma.com) meeting and tour. We'll spend three days on a mobile classroom (bus) tromping through fields, farms, pastures and farm markets learning about what our neighbors are doing. We are slated for different tours to maximize the ideas and will be presenting them at the 2011 West Virginia Small Farms Conference in Morgantown (February 17-19). We'll return to Baltimore on Monday evening and have three more days of workshops, meetings and all things farm marketing.

In addition to preparing for our presentation, I'm hoping to keep everyone updated through use of this blog. Danielle and I each have cameras and laptop packed and I'm hoping to learn a few things about social media with her. Once we arrive in Baltimore on Friday, we'll try to post our tour visits for the following day. Let us know if you have questions or want us to explore an attraction you are thinking about adding to your operation. You can email me at cmartel@ag.state.wv.us. I've already heard from Katy at Orr's and know what she is interested in....what more would you like to learn in 2011?