Patty Pan Squash and English Peas

For me the best feeling in the whole wide world is to prepare and eat something that I grew. Knowing that I raised them from a wee little seed into something that give me nourishment as well as a lot of joy to my table. There is a process I love about growing food. First it’s getting the soil ready, this happens far before the seed is planted. Then planting the seed, watering the seed, slowing watching the seed sprout as I am protecting it from the weeds and other things. Eventually comes the first blossoms, sooner or later the fruit, and soon enough comes harvesting time to enable me the joy of preparing something wonderful to eat. We are not finished yet! It's all about continuing to harvest and water frequently. Sad, but true, the seed that became a plant to feed me and you must die - it's the circle of the plant life my friends. So last of I turn the dead plants into compost so that someday they will be food for new plants. I love the process, from start to finish!

The other night when the sun started to go down and it became cool enough to walk through the garden without breaking a sweat, I wander through to see what I could make for dinner. I picked my very first squash of the season . I picked two patty pan varieties that were ready, one being called sunburst because of it's bright yellow color. The other is called flying saucer because it is yellow with green tips. I didn’t harvest any blossoms because you need to do that in the morning so I wandered down to the pea patch to see if any peas were ripe for the pickin’. I managed to harvest a good handful of peas then I went about robbing the potato beds but had no success. I only found two tiny little spuds, not enough to make it in the meal.I’ll be honest I love greens but it was really exciting to eat something else! Greens on my end are almost though their cycle and soon the beds will become beans, more squash and more corn. I can't wait to pick my first tomato!

Oven or Grill Baked Patty Pan Squash and Peas

1 pound patty pan squash, cut into quarters

6 ounces fresh English peas, stemmed and left whole

2 cloves crushed garlic

2 tablespoons olive oil

Pinch salt and black pepper

Few sprigs of oregano or rosemary (optional)

Juice and zest of ½ lemon

In a large bowl, coat the vegetables well with the olive oil, lemon, and garlic. Place vegetables in a large piece of foil; wrap and close the vegetables up tightly in the foil. Place in a 350⁰ oven or on a grill for about 10 to 15 minutes or until tender.

Serves: 4 Calories: 120 Protein: 4g Carbohydrates: 12g Total Fat: 7g Saturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 0mg Fiber: 3.5g Sodium: 75mg

Weight Watcher’s Points: 2

Seretean Wellness Center at Oklahoma State University

Chef: Lisa Becklund