Dude, where is my glut?

To illustrate how strange a year this was : in late August I actually paid money for 2 zucchini. That is obscene. Zucchini just happens, right? 


It is mid September as I write these notes, but because everything is about a month behind we should consider it August. In August we are typically looking for recipes to utilize the glut or for places to give it away. Not so this year. 

Yes, we had some zucchini for daily use. We even enjoyed a brief flurry of long English cucumber from the greenhouse. But because it is usually so prolific I only put in 2 zuch plants. It was cold and wet till August, so I hedged my bets and planted one in the greenhouse and one outside. 


The one in the greenhouse grew well, but was not getting pollinated much. It also developed powdery mildew quite early in the game. Out it went, before the whole greenhouse got it.
My hopes were now pinned on the single zucchini plant in the veg garden. Ha. It didn't get pollinated much either! There were only a few decent sized fruits, and many that did not
grow much before the end grew soft and rotten, a sign of squash virginity.

The hypothesis is that the bees were all busy in the big purple bee balm plant, that never made it to the flower garden this year. The zuch is right behind it. The bee balm was just humming with insects.


I had also bought some plants at the last moment: one yellow crookneck, planted outside and one Peter Pan type, small scalloped summer squash. 

The yellow squash is prolific, but most of the fruits are staying small.


Peter Pan started life out in the greenhouse as well, in a huge pot.  What was I thinking? He got moved to the garden after the garlic was harvested, and managed to survive and even thrive. There is now a whole bunch of tiny scalloped squashes happening. But because it is getting colder and the nights are longer, nothing is growing much anymore.


I am grateful for what we have, but can't help asking: 'Dude, where is my glut?"