Among the veggies in season right now at the downtown Dallas Farmers Market (1010 S. Pearl St.) are the adorable 8 Ball zucchini squash. About the size of a baseball, in yellow flecked with green or solid green like the typical zukes, 8 Ball squash are a new hybrid developed in California.
The taste is zucchini-like, but the shape allows for some fun variations. Scoop it out (they do have seeds) and it's an individual dip bowl. Stuff it like a pepper with ground beef or lamb and rice and bake it in the oven. The spherical shape makes them great for the grill -- no falling through the grates. And sliced and overlapped on a crust, they make a pretty veggie tart, topped with a mild white cheese like parmesan.
We found yellow and green 8 Ball squash grown in Canton, Texas, at the Farmers Market this week. Also looking good are sweet "Celebrity" tomatoes in from Tennessee, and West Texas melons, including watermelon, cantaloupe and soft, sweet Israel melons that taste like a blend of honeydew, cantaloupe and guava.
