Grow Your Own – Na Na Na Na Na Na Na Na…
by John Weckerle
On Wednesday morning of this week, while harvesting yet more zucchini (as well as yellow squash, string beans, a couple of Roma tomatoes, and a gigantic bell pepper), your editor did the unusual and set his mini-pruners (great for cutting zucchini off the plant) on the ground, and left them there. Late that afternoon a few clouds appeared on the horizon, and it became clear that a trip to the garden to collect the nippers was in order. I moseyed on up to the bed of plenty, and noticed that the tomato plants looked much different than they had just that morning – a lot of leaves were missing, and some of the branches looked wilted on plants that had looked healthy just hours before. Given that we’ve all but critter-proofed the garden (it’s now completely covered with bird netting), such damage was hardly expected. I proceeded cautiously toward the tomatoes, ready for anything.
Suddenly, the whispering sound of leathery wings filled the air, and I froze in place. There could be only one thing that could have wreaked the havoc that lay before me…
Hornworms.
We’re not sure when or how Senior Ventriloquism Correspondent Wilson learned a) how to imitate bats in flight, or b) throw his voice. He finds it amusing, but we admit we haven’t gotten used to it yet. As it turns out, we were less than amused at the time, being preoccupied with the potential loss of the entire tomato crop, but he’s practicing for my brother-in-law’s visit next year (said brother-in-law is not a “batfan”). About half an hour’s frantic but thorough effort ensued, and we appear to have removed all the caterpillars – some two dozen of them, perhaps more. We’re now checking twice a day, but have thus far found no more. The plants, somewhat worse for the wear, have survived, and it looks as if we may have a chance at harvesting more tomatoes after all. We actually picked another Roma this morning, as well as a couple of grape tomatoes that did not make it into the house (it’s never too early for tomatoes!).
So take care out there, fellow gardeners – Hornworm season is upon us, and the best strategy is to be vigilant and check your plants regularly, manually removing the caterpillars on sight. Even a single hornworm can do an amazing amount of damage in a short of time, so watch carefully.
As for post-harvest this morning, we dined on a healthy zucchini frittata, made as follows:
- 1/4 large onion
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 small zucchini
- 4 egg whites
- 1 whole egg
- Small amount of milk.
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup feta cheese (don’t over do or you’ll overpower the rest of the flavors)
- Oregano and basil for seasoning
- Olive oil for sauteing
Set broiler on “high.” Beat the eggs and milk together in a bowl, as you would if scrambling or making an omelette. In a 10-inch skillet, sweat the onions (a minute or two) over medium heat in olive oil. Add the garlic, and saute a minute or so longer. Add the zucchini, and saute until tender, adding a light sprinkle of oregano and basil and stir in right before adding the eggs. Pour in the egg mixture, and heat until cooked about 1/2 to 3/4 through, occasionally tilting/rolling the pan to get even coverage with the egg. Transfer the pan to the broiler briefly, just long enough to cook the rest of the way through. Remove and sprinkle the feta cheese over the top, and return the pan to the broiler just long enough to soften the feta. Note: The feta will soften but won’t appear melted, so be careful not to leave it in long. Remove, cut up, and serve. This is good for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.