Fresh from the Garden

The other day I started thinking about vegetable gardens and what role they have played in my life as well as my husband’s. Sal’s traditional gift for mother’s day was tomato plants. My mother-in-law, Anna Loffredo Lombardi, loved to work in the garden, both planting flowers and vegetables. When Sal was a teenager he was in the 4-H club. He grew vegetables and raised animals and entered them in the local fairs, often winning ribbons for his efforts.

When I was growing up, my grandfather, Michele Bevelaqua had a wonderful vegetable garden and he taught me many things about growing vegetables. For instance, I know that you should plant marigolds around your tomato plants to prevent the insects from killing the plant. I remember my mother telling me that everyone had a “victory garden” during World War II in order to supplement the family’s food rations.

My father planted a garden for years, growing tomatoes, zucchini, peppers, Swiss chard, and herbs. There is nothing like going in the garden and picking fresh vegetables for your meal. I am trying to convince Sal to go back to his 4-H roots and plant a few vegetables this year. Considering the pandemic and high cost of food; maybe it’s not a bad idea to go back to those victory gardens.

My grandfather taught me about the growing ends of a garden while my grandmother taught me how to cook all those wonderful vegetables. One of my father’s favorite, all-time fresh, out-of -the- garden treats was a fried zucchini flowers, picked first thing in the morning. I am sure many of you are thinking how do you eat a zucchini flower, others wanted to know why in the world you would eat a zucchini flower. Because they really are quite wonderful, here is the recipe for those adventurous readers out there in rural Rhode Island

Fiori Zucca Fritti “Fried Zucchini Flowers”

⅓ cup flour

⅓ cup cornstarch

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper

½ cup sparkling mineral water

Vegetable oil for deep-frying

16 zucchini or other squash blossoms

In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the water. Let stand for 1 hour.

Pour 2 inches of oil into a deep fryer or deep heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat until temperature reaches 375° on a thermometer or when a drop of the batter sizzles and quickly rises to the surface of the oil.

Dip a zucchini flower in the batter, coating it completely. Slip into the oil. Dip and add as many flowers as will fit without crowding them in the pan. Fry turning once, for 1 to 2 minutes until crisp. Remove the flowers and drain on paper towels and serve immediately. You can also add a small piece a cheese into the flower before you dip them in batter. Serves 4.