So many Chickahominy Falls neighbors and Woodside Farms friends are new to the Richmond area, or even new to Virginia as a whole. This part of Virginia is often protected from the harsh winters of the western, more mountainous region of Virginia, as well as many of the strong storms that impact the coastline. However, all this harsh weather protection comes at a cost. Our summers tend to be hot, still, and thick. You often can feel the air around you like an unwanted humidity robe and see it fogging up the panes of your windows at night and in the morning when the humidity is the highest. That being said, you may find that our farm stands boast a plethora of produce items that you may be less familiar with, as well as some items you might not find at your local Publix. While summertime in our local climate becomes more difficult to grow a lot of greens, there are quite a few things we can provide, that other localities (and supermarkets) can’t.
Summer squash is a southern staple in the summertime. While you can definitely find squash almost year-round at your local box store nowadays (thanks to an extensive, impersonal, and environmentally detrimental network of large and distantly located mono-crop farms and big-box trucks), it definitely won’t taste like the squash you’ll find at your local backyard farm. Here at Woodside we have several different types of squash grown in our garden.
- And yes, zucchini is a type of summer squash. -
We currently have two types of green squashes and three yellow:
Cocozelle
2. Dunja
3. Gold Star
4. Golden Glory
5. Zephyr
All squash types cook roughly the same way and are also quite enjoyable to eat raw. I like to cut a few squashes up and toss them into my salads or another summer favorite is to make a simple squash lasagna (recipe here). I personally have been known to have a sweet tooth, but sometimes in the sun of the summer, I can’t have anything that’s too-too sweet. That’s when zucchini bread is perfect! This summer, I’m definitely stocking my fridge up with squash. Its high water and fiber content help keep you feeling fuller longer, as well as help regulate your blood sugar. From an energetics perspective, summer squash is cooling in nature and helps you fight off heat-specific ailments like heat stroke and exhaustion. It’s also highly anti-inflammatory and antioxidant-rich.