September Garden Totals and Vegetable Casserole

I did it! Or, to be more precise, my garden did it! My garden and fruit trees have produced over half a ton of produce, and I still have harvesting to do! Although I am in a semi rural area, my garden and fruit trees would fit in the back yard of a house on a typical city lot. Image what you could do with that much produce!

Here is what I picked this month:

17 pounds 3 1/2 ounces cucumbers
3 pounds 13 1/2 ounces watermelon
56 pounds 4 1/2 ounces tomatoes
40 pounds 10 1/2 ounces zucchini
7 pounds 6 ounces kale
11 pounds 3 ounces peppers
7 pounds 11 1/4 ounces corn
1 pound 14 ounces eggplant
10 pounds 9 1/2 ounces winter squash
12 3/4 ounces sweet potatoes
10 ounces celery
8 1/2 ounces dried beans

Month Total: 152 pounds 11 ounces

Year Total: 1,054 pounds 8 1/2 ounces (Yay, I reached my goal!)


Vegetable Casserole

6 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound yellow summer squash, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 medium onions, trimmed, halved and sliced pole to pole
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced
1 cup soft bread crumbs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 small shallots, minced
1/4 cup fresh basil, minced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a 13x9 baking dish with 1 tablespoon olive oil; set aside.
Toss zucchini and summer squash with 1 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl; transfer to a colander and set over bowl. Let stand 15 minutes. Discard any liquid that has accumulated in the bowl.
Place tomatoes in the bowl and sprinkle evenly with 1/2 teaspoon salt, toss gently and then transfer to the colander with the squash; let stand 30 minutes. Transfer to a salad spinner and spin dry.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a non stick skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened and dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Set onions aside.
Combine garlic, 3 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and thyme in a small bowl. In a large bowl, toss zucchini, summer squash and tomatoes with 3/4 of the oil mixture then arrange in the greased dish. Arrange onions in an even layer over the top. Spoon remaining garlic-oil mixture over onions. Bake until vegetables are tender and browned, 40-45 minutes.
Combine bread crumbs, 1 tablespoon oil, Parmesan and shallots in a medium bowl. Remove baking dish from oven and increase heat to 450 degrees. Sprinkle bread crumb mixture evenly over vegetables. Bake until top is browned, 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and let sit at room temperature 10 minutes before serving.