My housemate, Patty, and I have so much squash and zucchini from our farm share that we've started storing them in our wine rack. Slender zucchinis, crocked neck summer squashes, and the occasional eggplant look very handsome next to the lone bottle of wine, and they taste good, too.

Did you know?

• Italians introduced America to zucchini in the mid-1900s. Now, gardeners grow more zucchini than any other kind of squash!
• Squash, cucumbers and melons are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family.
• Summer squash is an excellent source of vitamin C and manganese, and a one-cup serving contains just 36 calories.
• Winter squash, rich in Vitamin A, will keep for months in a cool, dry place.

Find it!

• You can find 18 farms and markets selling squash from Manistee to the Mackinac Bridge in the Michigan Land Use Institute's online guide to local farm foods, www.LocalDifference.org .
• Press the “Search Now” button in the “Find a Farm!” box, click on “squash,” the county you're interested in, then “Find It!” and you will get quite a list of farms in that county.

Try it!

• Try sliced, diced, or grated raw zucchini and summer squash in your salads.
• Patty always looks forward to breading and frying thick slices of giant zucchini. Dip one inch slices of zucchini into a bowl of beaten eggs, then into a mixture of bread crumbs or coarse corn meal and salt, pepper and a dash of cayenne. The zucchini should be coated with bread crumbs on either side. Fry the zucchini slices in oil, and enjoy!
• Who said summer squash had to be bland? Try this spicy recipe.
  Spicy Curried Squash
  1 onion, chopped
  2 cloves garlic, minced
  1 patty pan squash, chopped
  ½ cup of sunflower seeds
  2 tbsp of curry powder
  ¼ tsp of cayenne, or to taste
  Butter
  
  Sauté onions and garlic in butter until they're translucent, then stir in the spices. Sauté the squash until it is tender. Stir in the sunflower seeds. Taste, and adjust seasonings.
  
  Serve over rice or couscous, with lots of plain yogurt.

• And here's a recipe for a hearty stew that tastes even better the day after you make it.
  2 onions, chopped
  2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  1 eggplant
  1 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise, then sliced
  1 green bell pepper, chopped
  1 red bell pepper, chopped
  5-6 large tomatoes, chopped, or 1 can of chopped tomatoes
  1/2 cup of dry red lentils
  1 cup, or half a can, of cooked green or brown lentils
  1 cup, or half a can, of chickpeas
  Olive oil
  Salt and pepper
  
  Put the eggplant in a colander with a generous amount of salt.
  
  Sauté the onions and garlic in olive oil for 5-10 minutes. Rinse the salt off the eggplant, then add the zucchini and eggplant, sautéing them for 10 minutes before adding the bell peppers. Add the tomatoes, cook for five minutes.
  
  Then add the red lentils and a little extra water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat. The red lentils will cook and dissolve, thickening the stew. Once they dissolve, add the chickpeas and brown or green lentils, and salt and pepper to taste.
  
  It's fine to vary the type and proportion of the lentils and chickpeas – just shoot for three cups of protein-packed legumes.