June 26, 2024
Sliced yellow squash with a bouquet garni of freshly snipped parsley, sage and thyme
Last year was disappointing. My yellow squash limped along with only a few blossoms and then fizzled! But in the world of gardening, we know that last year’s failures can easily be replaced with surprising success in the new year. Hopefully, this photo reveals my sentiments regarding the crop of yellow squash coming out of my garden over the past two weeks. It inspired me to search for the perfect yellow squash soup recipe seasoned with fresh herbs from my garden.
No surprise, then, that I landed on a recipe from the queen of flavor, Paul Deen. Her recipe called for 1 pound of yellow crookneck squash, but with much more than that amount ready to be harvested, I was motivated to double it and share with family and friends.
My tiny 4” yellow squash plant went into the garden around the last of April. It is now over three feet tall and three feet wide and has supplied me with over a dozen perfectly formed yellow squash, to date. Depending on how much longer it produces, I’m planning on sharing a few recipes in early July from our master gardener cookbook, ‘A Year On The Plate’.
As called for in Paula’s recipe, I added a bouquet garni made with a sprig each of thyme, parsley and sage from my garden. For a colorful garnish, freshly snipped blue borage blossoms added a touch of texture and interest. The soup was a very satisfying accompaniment to beef quesadillas topped with smashed avocado and snappy salsa. Ymmm!
Yellow Summer Squash Soup with Sage and Thyme
Linda Alexander, Dallas County Master Gardener Class of 2008
DALLAS GARDEN BUZZ 