nationalzucdayblog

Feelin' Festive... on the Main Line

Hi Neighbor! Have you ever realized how many ridiculous holidays there are? On almost any day of the year you can find a reason to celebrate something. Now some of these “holidays” absolutely get my…

Hi Neighbor!

Have you ever realized how many ridiculous holidays there are? On almost any day of the year you can find a reason to celebrate something. Now some of these “holidays” absolutely get my vote, like National Donut Day (June 5th) or National Spoil Your Dog Day (it’s this Monday!) but some of the more…interesting…ones really make you wonder who takes the time to honor such random things like Bubble Baths, Yo-Yo’s and even Donald Duck.

Well, I recently learned that a Pennsylvania native, Tom Roy, and his wife helped create 80 of these “special days” including…wait for it…National “Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch” Day. Say what? This is a holiday? Can’t be. Turns out, it is! To celebrate on August 8th, one simply drops off any surplus of home-grown zucchini onto a neighbor’s front porch/steps. As for the “sneak” part, it’s recommended you wait until after dark to offload your abundance (perhaps as a way to avoid any refusals?).

The circumstances of this summer have spurred a huge increase in edible gardens (seriously, there was a seed shortage) and backyard gardeners, myself included. I’ll fully admit, I have no idea what I’m doing – but once my daughter is asleep, I go outside, listen to music and tend to our (very small) garden. I enjoy it and it relaxes me. In fact, some experts even tout the physical and mental health benefits of gardening – benefits we could all use these days.

So, if you’re feeling festive and need to offload some zucs, take some over to a friend or check out the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society’s initiative: Harvest 2020 (a new program focused on addressing growing hunger and food insecurity in the Philadelphia region). Not a gardener but still want to celebrate? Consider making a donation to a community food pantry in the spirit of giving.

Cheers!
Marisa

P.S. If you find yourself the recipient of a porch drop-off, here’s a great recipe from my mother-in-law for zucchini bread – even my 2-year-old loves it! Or check out these recipes from PA Eats for three ways to use up your extra summer squash.