This is what is known in the food industry as a shitload of zucchini.  Oh, it’s not that much you say?  This is just from this morning.  NOT this afternoon.  NOT tomorrow.

I have to start this post by stating a few facts:

I am in Italy at my dad’s house (read: not on the map) and the service is down.  The electrician arrived today to look at things which means we might have service next year.

The garden, which last year overflowed with arugula, spinach, long beans, three lettuces, and chard is spewing zucchini every few minutes, as you might have guessed from the photos and dishes mentioned herein.

Along with the zucchini, there are animals enough to merit a children’s book; wild boar, hare, cats and their kittens, a tame lamb who wanders inside and cries like a human baby which startles me every time, and a goat who managed to butt Daniel in the stomach.  Daniel has sworn revenge even though “he doesn’t really think it’s a great plan.”

Also, I am eating a lot of cheese, which is easy to do here.  It’s also easy to eat gelato and pick basil from the garden and check on the stone fruits in the orchard.  Less easy to post things so I am going to show some photos…

It’s the farm helper, Giulio’s, anniversary tomorrow so I made him and Pina, his wife, a deep dish chocolate chip zucchini loaf.  Once they got over the shock of eating zucchini in a sweet form (they know not from zucchini bread), they were thrilled.  Plus, I used up three zucchini batons!

More soon!