It's Not Just Good--It's Good For You

Let’s discuss the wonder that is zucchini. (In case you’re not a fan of this splendiferous veggie, keep reading. This post will make you lose ten pounds in thirty minutes. Or…something.)

It starts out as a seed in the ground, which grows into a gigantic plant within a few short months. Once that plant starts bearing food, it keeps going like the Energizer Bunny—all summer long. And thanks to the wonders of the internet and The Food Network--a fail-safe favorite of mine—you can look up recipes and instructions that will tell you thousands of ways in which to cook those baseball bat-sized things that appear almost daily.

It’s the ultimate in versatile foods. You can fry it, sauté it, bake it, stuff it, mash it, grate it, use it as noodles. You could probably even flambé it if you were brave enough.

Just, you know, keep a fire extinguisher handy. In case.

Granted, after a while you’ll probably get tired of eating—or seeing—zucchini. You might even come to hate it. Like, HATE it, hate it, hope-you-never-see-another-one-as-long-as-you-live hate it.

Be grateful, though. There are probably starving people in the world who would sell their children for a plant that would produce so persistently. I digress.

That’s what happens when you plant a seed. As long as you remember to water it, make sure it gets enough sunlight, keep the weeds away and then fertilize it every so often, it grows and becomes this splendiferous thing that could feed a third world country. Your little seed could change a life. Or many lives. Or at the very least, make a delicious dinner for someone.

You never know, right? Yeah.

I guess what I’m saying is that just because you feel like you can’t stand the thought of seeing another zucchini, you shouldn’t quit gardening. Just like when you feel like you can’t stand the thought of writing another word, painting another stroke, singing another note, or dancing another step—you go ahead and do it anyway.

Because you can. Because it’s good for you and you remember that at some point you really loved it. And sometimes, it’s simply a means of survival.

That is all I have to say about that.