Zucchini: Relishing the Harvest

The fall equinox is still a few days away, but autumn has arrived in our little valley. I know this because each morning the trees are decorated with intricate strands of dangling dew drops. Thick bodied spiders have begun to appear in unexpected places. The grass has gone from green to brown and back to green. The sun - when it decides to burst its way through - somehow feels not quite as strong as it did a few weeks past. The herbs in our garden have turned their attention away from making greenery now and focus instead on ripening precious seeds for next year's bounty. In sunspells, you can see Janet out in the garden gathering them before the rain or the birds take them. It's an exciting time and a peaceful time both, as the colors of summer fade, annuals get pulled, perennials get pruned. The garden seems to sigh and settle into a restful state.

Meanwhile, we both rest and scramble to get things done while we are between events and the weather permits. One project we've completed this year are two new bridges along our trail. These new bridges will make it much easier and safer to walk the loop along our salmon habitat restoration project that we started in 2002. With help from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and a lot of our personal time and inspiration, we were able to recreate a half mile of ideal spawning habitat for coho salmon. The stream had been rerouted many years before by a previous owner for farming purposes. Each year, more and more gravel is washed into the new section of the stream from higher up river, creating pockets where the coho can spawn. Coho prefer small, cool streams like the one on our property and in years past, we've seen as many as 30 fish in one stretch of the new stream alone! We've also enjoyed watching the stream find its way in the world as it cuts its new path across the land, meandering, morphing, becoming more permanent. Water is a powerful force for change.
This small stream, called Ernst Creek, flows into the bigger Crooked Creek, an arm of the Alsea River that empties into the Alsea Bay in Waldport. In Crooked Creek, we also have the bigger Chinook salmon spawning each year. One of the new bridges parallels the main riffle they prefer for making redds (the nests they lay their eggs in) and we are excited to be able to watch respectfully as they do so.
Salmon are anadramous, meaning they begin life in freshwater then make their way to the ocean, undergoing rapid adaptation to a salt water environment along the way, and then return to freshwater to spawn as adults. As they return to the place of their birth, they have a solitary purpose: to find a mate and spawn. They barely eat on the journey from ocean to homeplace and their bodies begin to break down. It is a beautiful, arduous life cycle with many many potential snags along the way. That any make it back to spawn takes my breath away every year. To be able to see them live in action is really a gift and something that I am very proud to have helped make possible on our land.

When we can't be outside working, we've been busy putting up the harvest for the another part of fall I love. This relish recipe is my Mom's (Janet's) and it is awesome added to potato salad, tuna, or just on a good old fashioned hot dog!

Zucchini Relish
Makes 3 quarts or 6 pints
This is a 2-day process, but don't be alarmed! It is fairly simple and worth it!

10 cups of chopped zucchini
4 cups chopped onions
5 Tbsp salt

Stir together the zucchini and onions in a colander. Sprinkle with salt. Let stand overnight in the sink or over a bowl. The salt draws out water.

In a.m. rinse well with cold water and put in large kettle.

ADD:

2 1/2 cups vinegar
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 tsp mustard (dry)
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp nutmeg
1 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp celery seed
1 tsp black pepper
1 large red pepper
1 large green pepper

Cook until the mixture reaches a rolling boil and then cook 20 minutes. Pack in clean hot jars and seal.

Posted by Bethany