What is it?

These little beauties created a buzz on Saturday at the farmers market they are called Zephyrs. You are right, they look like a cross between yellow squash and zucchini, that is exactly what they are!  You can cook them up and serve them anyway you would yellow squash or zucchini. I don’t know how well they might be in zucchini bread, but they are tasty.

I sliced them in half lengthwise before sprinkling my cayenne pepper olive oil and a touch of salt. I then placed in a grill basket. (If you slice them lengthwise, you can skip the basket and place right on a hot grill.) We used a mesquite charcoal Sunday night; they came off with a spice, smokey flavor to them. Grill ten minutes on each side.

Oven Roasted Green Beans Almondine

Last year for Thanksgiving, I made Green beans Almondine. I did not really care for the part of pre-cooking the beans then dunking them in ice water. I took that step out and roasted the beans in the oven. This summer at the farmers market, I bought several different varieties of beans and subjected the kids to taste testing. We have decided that the Eagles variety is the ones we like the best. They have a great taste, not stringy and freeze really well.

I have been buying a pound or two at a time and freezing them throughout the summer. Saturday I was buying another pound and half and the women told me it was their last weekend until spring. They were gracious enough for me to take their photo at way to early before seven clock in the morning.

Oven Roasted Green Beans Almondine

¼ cup of butter or margarine

1 pound of green beans, whole

1 cup of slivered of sliced Almonds

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

Preheat oven to 350°F

Wash and snap ends of bean, leaving whole.

Melt butter in a 2qt baking dish, add almonds and toast lightly. When almonds are brown, add garlic and beans to the dish, making sure beans are coated with remaining butter.

Bake for ten minutes before turning beans over, cook for another 5 to 8 minutes before removing from oven. Salt and pepper to taste, sometimes I will sprinkle crushed red peppers on beans. Beans should have a small amount of crispness to them.