I made a little mistake when we set out for vacation last week. Although I asked my dear niece, who was kindly house and dog sitting, to water the garden on our absence, I forgot to ask her to pick any summer squash that were ready. They do grow quickly this time of year, and while we were gone, those bees were very busy. I couldn’t believe how big my patty pan squash got, and how many my four little plants produced. The sun and rain must have been perfect. Eighteen squash, total thirty-seven pounds, with one topping the scales at two pounds four and a half ounces.
What to do with it all!
That is a lot of squash to deal with, especially since it is the time of year when everyone who has a garden has more than enough already. We joke that zucchini season is the only time of year when Vermonters don’t lock their cars, protecting themselves from drive-by squash drops.
Let the ingredients dictate the dish
I made the vegetable medley below to use up some of the surplus; they all asked to be combined. One squash down. Since I had a half dozen ear of corn fresh from the farm stand, and an abundance of Swiss chard and mint in my garden, the dish sort of created itself. The mint was really delicious with the corn, and the textures of everything together were quite pleasant.
Another supper
While my corn was roasting in the oven, I added another big squash that I sliced in half at the equator and scooped out the tough seeds. They would make a great vessel for some squash filling, and we ended up having this for our supper! Two down.
Let’s worry about this in November
I also seeded and shredded three more of the big ones and put a large bag of them in the freezer to use at holiday time for ‘zucchini’ bread. I couldn’t stuff it all in the container, so I made a batch of banana muffins, which turned out a bit strangely shaped, but extremely moist and delicious. Five down.
Share the wealth, yankee style
The rest? Well, I kept a few and placed the rest in a large box, marked FREE, and left them by our roadside. This is how we find new homes for many things, as I know they do elsewhere as well. Two hours later, they were gone, and we made someone really happy. It’s a tradition, especially this time of year. Now, excuse me while go out in the garden and inspect under those big leaves…
Summer Squash, Corn, and Swiss Chard Medley
This can be a great side dish, even a light summer supper, lunch on its own the next day, a filling for another squash (see below), a filling for a wrap or omelet, a base for a frittata, or add some vegetable broth and call it a soup.
- 1 very large patty pan squash, seeds removed, chopped
- Six ear fresh corn, cooked
- 1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large sweet onion, diced
- Stems and leaves of four or five Swiss chard, rainbow if available, divided
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry white wine
- A couple of sprigs of thyme
- 2 or 3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
- 1 cup black beans or other cooked beans (I had them on hand!)
- 1/3 cup minced fresh mint leaves
- 2 tbsp. capers, crushed a bit
- A few cherry tomatoes for garnish
The prep: Chop up the squash and discard any tough seeds. Cut them into cubes larger than the corn kernels to keep it interesting. Remove the kernels from the cobs. Strip the green from the Swiss chard and chop the stems. Dice the onion, and mince the garlic. Chop the tomatoes, and mince the mint. What a lovely aroma!
The cook: In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Let this cook until soft and just starting to color. Stir in the garlic and let bloom for a minute or so, the add the squash and the stems of the chard, along with the thyme. Sauté for a few minutes, then deglaze with the wine, season with salt and pepper, reduce the heat and let cook until everything is soft.
Add the tomatoes, chard leaves, and beans. Mix it up well, and let cook a few minutes until the chard is nicely wilted and tender. Add the mint leaves and capers, taste for seasoning.
To serve: Place in a serving dish and garnish with more mint, the cherry tomatoes if you have them, and any pretty edible flowers you have on hand.
Variations: Before I added the mint, I took out enough of the mixture to fill two patty pan squash halves, seeds removed and scooped out. I prebaked the shells (I did this earlier with the corn) then added a teaspoon of poultry seasoning to the mix and stuffed the seasoned shells. Top with fresh breadcrumbs mixed with a little olive oil, a minced spring onion and its greens, and a bit more poultry seasoning. Top and pop under the broiler until brown. A really delicious main dish served with a salad of greens. You could swap out the poultry seasoning for curry, or any other spice combination you love.
Do you have extra beans in the garden? Toss those in. Swap out the patty pan with zucchini or any other abundant squash. Basil would be lovely rather than mint. And spinach is a nice swap for the chard. Don’t mess with the corn though, it really belongs here.
Copyright 2025– or current year, The New Vintage Kitchen. Dorothy Grover-Read. Unattributed use of this material and photographs is strictly prohibited. Reposting and links may be used, provided that credit is given to The New Vintage Kitchen, with active link and direction to this original post.
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“You don’t have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces – just good food from fresh ingredients,” Julia Child
Gardeners: Don’t forget to celebrate National Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day, August 8!
They look beautiful!
Thank you! Relief I only have a few left…
Deliciousness!
I could pop a dozen or so in the car and drop them off!
That would be a very long ride!
Hey, it’s summer!
What a bounty!
May I save you some?
Coming to California any time soon?
That can be arranged, but I’ll have to figure out how many of these squashes I can stuff in my suitcase!
Those colors are gorgeous! Love the story of your curbside box of squash.
Thanks N.! I couldn’t resist weighing them and adding it all up. Wow!
Breal out the Squash Recipes! 🙂
Oh yes, bread, casseroles, stir-fries!
The squash looks yummy, as all your recipes do, Dorothy. Love the idea of the free box. We see scavengers around here on trash day. I’m sure people around you wait in expectation for your sharing box.
We live in on a dirt road in a rural area, but there’s plenty of traffic on the main road a quarter of a mile away, so anything we put out there disappears quickly.
Yum
Thanks! The dishes were tasty!
The dish looks delightful. Nice to you to give away all the squash – sure those who took it appreciated it.
I am sure that the recipient of the squash was delighted at the bounty.
Our food shelf is only open on certain days and has limited fresh storage capacity, or I would have brought it there.
Wow, Dorothy, they are huge compared to the ones in our green grocer. A lovely splash of colour on the plate!
They do look like sunshine!
When they are small, the seeds and all are delicious. But these were just too big and the seeds too tough to chew. So I just cut them out and used the rest.
Such a funny story!
You’ve definitely found a tasty way of using the patty pan squash, not to mention making the neighbors happy! 🙂
Thanks Ronit.
I think I may have been in this situation before…
What a surprise to come home to! You thought up some lovely dishes to take care of the glut. The FREE box will be someone else’s pleasure. Well done Dorothy! :))
Sometimes folks put up a table and have an assortment of the extras from the garden. Folks are really good and take just what they need.
My younger sister has similar challenges with her husband’s vegetable garden. The solution turned out to be another freezer to hold more of the bounty.
Yes, that would do it Sheree! I’m thinking of all the corn I’m stashing away soon.
Mmmmmm
Julia is of course absolutely correct!
As she is with so much of her wisdom!
Squash is a beautiful and versatile harvest. Just as a potato, you can do so much more with a squash (especially too, there are so many varieties). Your resilience is miraculous, vacationing after being down. ❤️
Thank you! I got to set and stare at a beautiful lake for long, quiet periods. Just what the doctor ordered!
Gotta love an abundance of squash! I love to turn them into desserts but your medley makes me want to use this way for summer. So pretty!
Thank you! There’s so much you can do with these babies. Stir-fry tonight!
Color my world. 🍃🌎
OK, you are now yellow, Sunshine!
Sunshine is good, amirite? ✨🌞✨
Most definitely!
Wow – what a harvest! Looks delicious.
Thanks Judy! Pulled three more out this morning after I watered!
Beautiful looking squash and a lovely tasty looking dish I agree about leaving the corn and not swapping the corn out..and lucky neighbours xx
Thanks Carol! Got to use the corn when it is in season and so very sweet and delicious!
Absolutely,Dorothy 😃
Beautiful! What a wonderful way to serve it!
Jenna
Thank you! We loved both dishes.
That’s a lot of squash! I’m sure your neighbors are grateful for the extra bounty. Great combination of veggies, I always enjoy squash and corn dishes!
They go together so well Jan. Good thing, since there’s so much of both right now!
Great ideas for squash! we too are swimming in squash this summer 😃
It’s the year of the squash!
They are gorgeous! What a bounty!
I would love that stuffed one, please!
You got it Nancy! How about two, or twelve?
😃🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒🥒😃
I’ve made relish w/ squash awa “pineapple” zucchini. I make carrot pineapple muffins on the regular & this concoction worked very well. The recipe is availabe on-line.
Oh thanks for the tips! The relish sounds really wonderful!!
Happy National Leave a Zucchini on Your Neighbor’s Porch Day! https://www.almanac.com/zucchini-fertility-spawns-annual-holiday
Love the Julia Child’s quote – so very spot on! Enjoy your bounty!
Thank you Mary! She definitely had some very wise quotes!
Wow! What a beautiful harvest! 💕
Yes, I will remember this in the middle of winter when there are no flavorful summer squash available!
100 cherry tomatoes yesterday!
Summer’s beautiful bounty ~ there’s nothing like it! 😊
I tried a new idea last week. Put chunks of yellow squash and zucchini with a little olive oil and Italian blend seasonings in the air fryer while I was using other pans. It came out wonderfully.
Perfect! I will have to give that a try!
The wonderful bounties of a summer garden. You will be able to enjoy it through all the snowy days of winter.
I will Karen, and I’m sure I will be delighted to tell the story as we pass around the ‘zucchini’ bread at the Thanksgiving table!
What a colorful variety Dorothy! If I lived by you I would have taken some. I have never prepared or eaten that kind of squash.
They are so sweet, and I really love them stuffed!
I’ll take some! Do you ship to Canada?
I’ll hand deliver it Joni!
Good! Then you can help me cook them!
Any time my friend!
Oh my goodness, I thought you might have been exaggerating, but it really WAS 37 pounds?! Good golly! You certainly made good use of it, and I’m sure the free surplus was a wonderful surprise for the neighbors!
I pulled even more out this week; quietly left a bag at the senior center..,
Delightful Post Thanks
Thank you for stopping by! Glad you enjoyed it. Now, about that squash…
Wonderful Post Thanks
Thank you!
I have even more squash. It keeps coming.