Schoolyard Squash
It's summer squash season. Some gardeners have crookneck dangling on the vine, or a bushy bunch of Zephyrs sprouting little yellow offspring, or perhaps you favor the creamy green heirloom Patissons Panache Blanc Et Vert Scallop. And then there's the prized Trombetta di Albenga, a climbing squash great for small spaces.
Kids heading back to school at Encinal Elementary School in Menlo Park will be greeted with the squash they planted last spring alongside Guillaume Bienaimé, executive chef at the nearby restaurant Marché . The plants were donated by Roger Reynolds Nursery last spring. Guillaume's wife, Sydney Bienaimé, is a kindergarten teacher at Encinal and they both admitted that planting squash with the youngest of the students was not easy. There was some shovel throwing and erratic foot racing, but what the students lacked in attention span, they made up for in enthusiasm.
"They might not get the big picture yet," Sydney explained. "But they love the hands-on experience."
Parents and community members will be able to enjoy the fruits of their little ones' labor at Marché throughout the first week of September (Tuesday, September 1st - Saturday, September 5th). Guillaume will prepare a three-course prix-fixe "Encinal Fresh" dinner menu for $44. Twenty percent of the receipts from the menu (or $8.80 per person who orders the menu) will be donated to the Encinal Elementary School Parent Teacher Association, which allocates funds to programs like the garden.
Along with the squash project, which Guillaume is launching as the first of an annual event, he's also working with older students on a Green Thumbs Lunch Club, where students will volunteer to work in the garden with him. He plans on working with grower Fred Hempe of Baia Nicchia Farms and cultivating unusual herbs like anise hyssop, winter savory, epazote and Mexican tarragon.
Guillaume admitted to also having a short attention span: "I get bored easily, and so change the menu all the time. Through this program the children will get exposed to a diversity of garden herbs, and I will have lots of different ones to work with."
Tip: Squash Blossoms
If you want to harvest squash blossoms, get the early ones, which tend to be male. These have longer stems, which are good for a handle, and are just there for pollinating so leave a few, but they don't become squash. Female blossoms will have a slight bump that will become a squash. Let these be!
Image by Victor Schrager
Recipe: Summer Squash, Chorizo and Marcona Almonds by Guillaume Bienaimé
4 cups diced summer squash (size of a sugar cube)
1/2 cup diced chorizo (same size)
1/2 cup marcona almonds
1 clove garlic (microplaned or minced)
2 teaspoons madras curry powder
2 T olive oil
In a large skillet, heat oil until smoking over high heat.
Add summer squash and chorizo, cook until slightly golden, reduce heat and
add garlic and curry powder.
When zuchinni is tender but still hold its shape, throw in marcona
almonds and season with salt to taste.
That's it. Just remember that this recipe is only a guideline, if you
really like chorizo, add more; chopped cilantro or basil would make a
great addition as well.
Calendar Buzz
What's On Your Plate is an inspiring documentary about schoolchildren and their relationship to food. Catch this at The Eat Real Festival on August 28th-30th at Jack London Square or at the Sonoma/Napa Wine Country Film Festival on September 23rd.
For the young-at-heart, head to Napa for the Fresh Aire Festival. If you want to live longer and better, check out the talks and activities that include yoga, farm-to-table lunches, kayaking the Napa River, cycling winery roads and catch some yoga classes taking place August 28th-30th.