in which we travel through time, and find (inevitably) zucchini

I suspect that even if we traveled via TARDIS,

we would find zucchini in August.

A cannonball zucchini and a friend.

But I admit, I didn't expect zucchini to be part of the conversation when I met up with some old friends last weekend at a place where I spent countless hours over more than 13 years.

The folks in town call this "The Karate Church", but to us it will always be the dojo.

Our sensei of many years died a few weeks ago, and the call went out that the doshi (students/family) were planning to meet up at the the old dojo for a last kanpai (toast) before the formal memorial service at the Elks Club.

I've been away from the dojo for (counting on fingers, switching to toes) a long time.  A very long time.  Long after I left, our sensei's health failed, and the dojo was sold, and sold again.  Apparently, though the building is a bit of a structural nightmare (so says the fire inspector who was one of the senior black belts, back in the day), the location of the land made it valuable.

We all noticed the modern thermostat--a big change from the old days when
it was covered in tape with a note that read "If you are cold, WORK OUT."

But the City Council knew our sensei.  And they didn't think the city needed another condo building that week, so the sale of the building went to somebody else.

"Bellingham Academy of (s)Elf Defense:  the new home of Bellingham's Alternative Library

The dojo now houses books for people who don't think they fit in well with "regular people."  To my amazement, that meant (among other things) people who read comic books.  Really?  Okay then...

This part of the building was the baptismal pool in the pre-dojo days, and the sho-men wall when we were there.
Now it houses  a complete run of Batman comics (but no Squirrel Girl, which is a terrible omission IMHO)

Days gone by: Very few women studied long and hard enough to achieve black belt rank.
But I was one of them.

The old dojo now hosts music events, poetry readings, and even yoga classes.  I guess it's better than condos?

Propped up behind a couch, but still presiding over
the practice floor in the basement:  the target chart

 I can hear you thinking, "but what about the zucchini?  Isn't there zucchini in this story?"

There is, inevitably, zucchini in this story.  As far as I know, I'm the only farmer in the group.

Many of us have been gone for decades.  I'm glad we came back just one more time.

I am not, however, the only person burdened with zucchini in August.  Carol shared a recipe that I baked up today for a friend's birthday party.

Garlic-dill-feta-zucchini bread

And since this is, after all, a farm blog, I figured I could share with y'all.  We served it plain--adding butter seems just crazy.  But if you put it on a plate with some spaghetti and some tomato sauce, well.  I wouldn't complain, that's for sure.

Zucchini Bread with Cheese and Herbs

In a large bowl, whisk together:                       

3 c. flour

4 teas. baking powder

1 teas. salt

½ teas. baking soda           

Toss with flour:                   

1 c. coarsely shredded zucchini                                       

2 T. minced garlic

3 T. chopped parsley

2 teas. dill weed

1 cup grated or finely cubed cheese (Cheddar, Swiss, feta, Provolone)

In another bowl, thoroughly blend:

2 eggs

1 c. low fat buttermilk*

4 T melted butter

Add wet mixture to flour mixture and mix just until dry ingredients are moistened. Batter will be lumpy. Pour into greased 9x5 loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350º oven for 55-60 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 5-10 minutes. Remove bread from pan and cool completely on rack.

*Hint: If you don’t have buttermilk, use this substitute: put 1 tablespoon of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill with 1% or 2% milk. Stir to combine and let stand for 10 minutes.