Simple Zucchini Brownies

Simple Zucchini Brownies

I love Zucchini brownies, but most of the recipes I have found make it more complicated than it needs to be. Basically, you are substituting the stick of butter for two cups of zucchini squash. You can tweak this recipe in other ways too. But here are the basics:

Ingredients:

2 cups of zucchini or summer squash, grated
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 Tablespoons of oil or butter
2 bars (4 oz) of Unsweeted Chocolate broken into pieces (if you prefer to use baking powder, mix it with the dry ingredients and add two extra tablespoons of oil or butter to the wet ingredients)
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups flour (I use half white and half whole wheat)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nuts or chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 and grease a 13 X 9 baking pan.
Heat up the butter (if using it) and unsweetened chocolate until it is mostly melted. (Chocolate will take about one minute to melt in the microwave.) Mix in the sugar, (oil if using it), and vanilla. Beat the egg and add it. Mix in the zucchini. In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix. Fold in nuts or chocolate chips if you desire.
Pour into the baking pan. Bake for 30-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. (Baking times will vary depending on the moisture content of your zucchini. Check your brownies often.)

Enjoy!

Chiggers-Some practical advice from the South

Chiggers are tiny, almost microscopic, parasites. Some people are not bothered by them, they drive other people, like me, crazy!

I would like to start by debunking some chigger myths:

1. Chiggers do not burrow into your skin nor do they simply bite and then leave. They spit acid on your skin, dissolving it, and then eat the digested skin. They stay on the surface and the bite usually only really itches when the chigger is still on your body.
2.  Chiggers do not carry diseases such as Lyme disease. They do not suck blood like ticks and mosquitoes so they can not transfer diseases.
3. Chiggers are not microscopic. If you look hard you can see them with the naked eye. (More about this in the next section.)

Now, what to do if you get into some chiggers:

Chiggers hid out in grass, moist hay, leaves, and even rocks. They like moisture, lots of ground shelter, but seem to appericate sunny lined areas (not deep dark forests but more like the edges of fields.) Personally I assume that I get chiggers every time I go outside.

So this is what I do:

1. Wipe off every inch of your skin. Chiggers do not burrow, right? So they are on top of your skin. Also, they have a soft body (they are mite nymphs) and have no exoskeleton. They run very fast, but will explore your body a long time (an hour or two) before settling down to feast. They have a soft body that is squished easily. Rub every inch of your body with a wet wash cloth or something similar.
2. As you start to feel an itch, BEFORE you scratch at all, check for a chigger and this is how:
• Get into a place with natural sunlight. For some reason you can not see them with artificial light nearly as well as with sunlight.
• Stretch the skin where you feel the itch until any pinkness disappears.
• Look for a tiny hunter orange dot. (Hopefully you have not itched because the itching will make little red dots from blood coming to the skin.)
• With your fingernail, the tip of a pocket knife, or something sharp like that, flick the tiny dot off your skin. Then squish it. If you can't see it, then rub your hands and the area.
3. Chigger bites happen. They suck, but you will be ok! Use a little antihistamin or mentholated insect bite medicine if you need. Try not to let it ruin your day!

Get outside and enjoy yourself. Good luck with the chiggers!

Gardening Tip

Alright folks. Here is my number one super secret gardening tip...
Garden daily.
Seriously! Being a constant gardener is key. Go into your garden every day. Examine every plant. Turn over every leaf. Don't skip a day because your tired or don't feel like it. Don't go back inside because it is too hot. If it is raining, walk through with an umbrella.
As you look, you will learn. You will have questions. Make sure to find their answers. But know you will never have all the answers.
Stay in control. Pull a few weeds, squash a few pests, and pick off a few eggs every day. How will you know the weeds from the plants, the pests from the beneficials, and what the heck do insect eggs even look like? The answers will be in your mistakes. You will let the plants grow until it is obvious that they are not producing fruit and you will know what to look for next time. Once the caterpillars are eating the leaves you will know they are not your friends. And if you are in the garden every day, no weeds will have a chance to take over and no bugs will be able to completely wipe out your plants. That is why going out and taking a long, close look is so important.
At first your mistakes will take a toll. But every year your garden will get better and better. You will become more and more proficient; which means it will also become more rewarding over time. Like the garden you will grow...
So get to it! Go garden! Don't stop!