...beat you with a warm squash...

"The first zucchini I ever saw I killed it with a hoe." John Gould

Summer Squash are among the many varieties of gourds that grace our plates all year long from the family Cucurbitaceae, which includes melons, cucumbers and squashes. Cucurbita pepo primarily deals with the species of squashes hard and soft; the summer squashes are primarily those we harvest when the rinds are soft enough to eat without peeling. Chief among these are the scalloped or Pattypan squashes of white, yellow, green and variegated – the baby versions are growing in popularity. The constricted or crookneck squashes have become ubiquitous with their high yields and low costs – pick ‘em young for flavor and texture. Cylindrical varieties, such as zucchini are as colorful as the pattypans and offer uniformity for portion control. These varieties were unknown in the Old World until the discovery of the New, but were likely the first cultivated crops of the Native Americans some 12,000 years ago, predating beans and maize cultivars by eons. The blossoms have become increasingly popular on the culinary scene, serving as a small vegetable shell for stuffing with meats, chesses, or dessert mixes. Both male and female flower are produced by summer squashes, but only the female bears fruit, so most commercially sold blooms are male.

“Women: You can't live with them, and you can't get them to dress up in a skimpy little Nazi costume and beat you with a warm squash or something…” Emo Philips

Festivals:

Hayward, CA Zucchini Festival - http://www.haywardzucchini.com/
Windsor, FL Zucchini Festival - http://www.afn.org/~windsor/page2.htm
Obetz, OH Zucchini Festival - http://www.obetzzucchini.com/