Hi everyone! Hope you all had a wonderful week. We enjoyed a little more sun and warmer temperatures along with some watering from Mother Nature. The SCRD has advised we are now in Stage 2 water restrictions. More details can be found on their website: www.scrd.ca/water.
It’s zucchini time! I LOVE this amazing, versatile vegetable! It can be baked, barbecued, fried, boiled, steamed, shredded, stuffed, spiraled or incorporated into recipes. One such is the ever-popular chocolate zucchini loaf. My garden is not producing any vegetables, much less anything from the two zucchini plants that were donated to me. Recently, we were given some freshly picked zucchini – thank you Jan and Brenda. We enjoyed them right off the barbecue; we also pan-fried slices with grated parmesan, bread crumbs and lemon juice sprinkled on top, but the most enjoyment came from the triple chocolate zucchini loaf that I made. Oh my! What a treat!
Here’s some history of this little gem which I found quite interesting. Zucchini is the plural of zucchino, a diminutive of zucca, Italian for “pumpkin” or “squash.” Plural can be zucchini or zucchinis and, in some countries, it is called courgette. It is best to harvest when it reaches 20 cm (8”) long as the seeds inside are soft. A zucchini with the flower still attached is especially sought after as it provides a sweeter flavour. Zucchini contains many valuable minerals, including calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and plenty of potassium. It is easy to grow (except in my garden), harvest, store, cook and use in a variety of recipes. There may be some non-zucchini believers out there but I for one am a huge fan. Did I mention I love zucchini? Donations welcome… lol
Recently the Halfmoon Bay Community Association held their Annual General Meeting via Zoom. Attendance was minimal and the agenda was covered in just over 30 minutes. President Terry Knight reported that although events and functions have been cancelled or postponed in 2020, the board looks forward to planning events later this year or early in 2021. Events in late 2019 included the 11th Annual Apple Festival, Breakfast with Santa and the Andrew Collins Trio in early 2020. Along with the current board, three new board members were nominated and voted in. Welcome to Andy Jones-Cox, Brian Smith and Carlo Velcic as directors at large. Sadly, HBCoA said goodbye to Lori, Margaret, Alick and recent addition Mariam. These board members have contributed so much to the association and community and have volunteered countless hours at events throughout the years. Special thank you to Lori for her amazing coordination of the vendors at the Annual HMB Country Fair, not an easy task, and to Alick for all his hard work at concerts behind and in front of the bar. Thank you to the association and its board members for volunteering so much of their time to provide events and activities in Halfmoon Bay. Huge thank you to the many volunteers in the community as well!
A friendly reminder: please be aware of wildlife on our roads, trails, parks and neighborhoods. Drive safely, keep food attractants stored and always be respectful of the incredible nature around us.
To have your say at the Bay, please contact me before 5 p.m. on Mondays. cindy.kisser@telus.net. Be kind, be gentle, be safe.
