<p>Kathiep- you may have a soil fungus. The same thing happened to us several years ago. I would get huge leaves on the zucchini and cukes, and then the flowers would die off. I tried many ways to get rid of it, with no luck. Now, I have to enjoy my summer produce from the Farmers Market.</p>
<p>I also serve salade nicoise a lot during the summer. Recently I made it with seared black-pepper ahi tuna, which was super easy and delicious, if expensive.</p>
<p>Made a good corn salad last night for something different…just kind of added things as I went along. My mom was visiting and she brought some corn on the cob for dinner, but personally I’m a little corn on the cobbed out!</p>
<p>First I cook 2 ears of corn in the micro about 2’minutes. Took it off the cob and let cool. In bowl mixed together:
Good handful grape tomatoes, halved
1/4 c. Red onion chopped
1/4 c. Pickle cucumbers chopped
1/4 . Cup fresh raw banana pepper, sliced thin
Splash olive oil
Several basil leaves snipped
Small handful parsley snipped
A little fresh chives
Generous splash balsamic vinegar a bit)
Ground pepper
Sea salt to taste</p>
<p>Add the cooled corn and gently toss. Other add ins could be oldies, feta, cold grilled chicken - whatever you’ve got!</p>
<p>Nice alternative for fresh corn!</p>
<p>Calabacitas</p>
<p>1-2 cups raw corn kernels (fresh is best, but frozen will work)
1 red bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 lg onion, quartered lengthwise and sliced (purple onion looks pretty)
1-1.5 lbs summer squash (zucchini, yellow crookneck, mexican grey or a combo), sliced
2-4 Anaheim chile peppers, roasted, seeded, peeled and sliced (you can use Serranos if you like it hotter, or a combination)
1 clove garlic, crushed (optional)
salt & pepper to taste</p>
<p>Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet. If using garlic, saute garlic then remove it from pan. Add all vegetables and saute until squash, onion and bell peppers have softened and corn is lightly browned.</p>
<p>Serve as a side dish or as a filling for enchiladas, quesdillas or tacos.</p>
<p>BTW, this reheats wonderfully! When I use it as a filling, I sometimes toss in leftover cooked chicken and/or a can of drained and rinsed black beans.</p>
<p>Fresh Salsa</p>
<p>1 clove garlic, crushed
3-5 tomatoes, peeled
2-3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 Serrano chile, seeded
1/2 lg onion, roughly chopped
2 tsp lime juice
fresh cilantro to taste
seasoned salt to taste</p>
<p>In a food processor, process onion and garlic until chopped, add chiles, tomatoes, lime juice and cilantro. Pulse until the mixture has a chunky texture. Taste and correct seasonings.</p>
<p>Stores in the fridge for about 2 weeks.</p>
<p>I noticed this recipe in Food & Wine this month and clipped it, but have not tried it yet. But I know that gardeners are always trying to get rid of zucchini. :)</p>
<p>[Hummus</a> and Grilled-Zucchini Pizzas Recipe - Grace Parisi | Food & Wine](<a href=“http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hummus-and-grilled-zucchini-pizzas]Hummus”>Summer Squash Pizza with Goat Cheese and Walnuts Recipe - Taylor Boetticher)</p>
<p>Green Chile Corn Chowder</p>
<p>4 strips of bacon, diced
2 medium Yukon Gold or red skinned potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 lg onion, diced
raw kernels from 4 ears of corn (about 3-4 cups) or 1 polybag of frozen corn
1 red bell pepper, cored and diced
2-3 Anaheim chiles, roasted, seeded, peeled and diced
1 tbsp flour
1 3/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth (1 can)
1 cup half & half or cream or whole milk</p>
<p>In a large, deep skillet, bacon, cooked the diced until crisp and browned, Remove from pan and set aside. In the remaining bacon fat, saute onions until soft. Push aside or remove from pan. Add potatoes. Saute until they turn translucent and start to brown. Add corn kernels and saute until they too start to brown. Add chile and flour and stir. Cook lightly so that flour is sticky and has absorbed any remaining fat. Add broth and cook until bubbly and both starts to thicken. Add half & half. Stir until heated thru. Remove about a 1 cup of liquid & vegetables from pan and puree in a blender. Add back into chowder to thicken soup.</p>
<p>Served with bacon sprinkled on top.</p>
<p>(NOTE: If I’m a hurry and craving chowder, I skip the bacon and use a bit olive oil to cook the veggies. You lose the smoke flavor from the bacon, but the chowder is still pretty good.)</p>