An Issue From the Zucchini Archives!


THE ZUCCHINI CLUBHOUSE NEWSLETTER
...the official newsletter from The Zucchini Brothers!
www.zucchinibrothers.com

FALL '03


Greetings from ZucchiniLand! And welcome to this archived edition of our Zucchini Clubhouse Newsletter, a quarterly publication filled with interesting facts, news from ZucchiniLand, stories, educational tidbits, projects, and much more! Please feel free to print this out and share with as many people as you want!

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NEW & EXCITING ZUCCHINI PROJECTS

Well, it's Fall...time to record a new Zucchini CD! We're getting the Clubhouse basement ready: setting up our instruments and choosing songs. This CD will have a bit of the spirit of our radio show (some fun skits and bits added in). We'll let you know when it's ready!

We're also working on a special holiday show that will be presented at The Egg in Albany, NY on December 13th.
 
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STEVE'S CORNER

Steve Zucchini here, and at this time of the year I'm also known as the "CMC" (which stands for "Clubhouse Maintenance Chief"). Jack and Sam can't resist having fun with the title. So they call me "Clubhouse Mister Cheese" among other things. Yes, as we get ready for the colder weather, I'm the guy in charge of making sure the roof doesn't leak, and the front door closes properly so no cold air gets in. We're even going to paint the outside of the clubhouse this year! Jack wants to paint it "tie-dyed", Sam wants it "impressionist...like a Monet, Manet or Renoir," and I'm going for a more modern look--like a "Jackson Pollack paint-splattered thingy." We'll have to figure it out AND run it by Mom and Dad because we're pretty sure the only paint they'll let us use is some leftover green and white from when their house got painted last year!!!  We're starting to record our new album this Fall (Yes, really!), and we've come up with a bunch of brand new songs for the holidays that we're rehearsing right now!

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JACK'S CORNER

Howdy, folks! It's autumn, which means crisp, clear, blue skies; crickets chirping; grasshoppers jumping; furry little caterpillars creeping about; and shadows getting longer as the days grow shorter. All the greens around the clubhouse are fading to yellows and browns, and the leaves are decorating the ground with many pretty colors as they start to fall from the trees. It won't be long until we have huge piles of leaves to jump in! I'm still riding my bike a lot, although now I find myself putting on some warmer clothes before I head down the road. It's sweater season! Have you seen me out and about? I'm the guy with all the stickers on his bike and helmet. I'm also getting excited because it's that good ol' apple picking time of year, and I love apples! Let me see--there's apple pie, apple crisp, apple cider, apple dumplings, apple butter, applesauce... I can't imagine a world without apples! Anyway, I'm looking forward to the cooler weather because that means no more bugs. Out here in the country, our clubhouse can have more than its share of little critters flying around when the weather's warm. But now it's the perfect season for sitting around the fire, toasting marshmallows, telling stories, and (of course!) drinking warm apple cider. Cheers!

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SAM'S CORNER

Okay, so this didn't turn out to be a better year for the Zucchini Land Zebras baseball team. In fact, it was far worse than last year (which, itself was also a bad year). Not only did they finish in last place...again, but they won only 20 of 180 games this year. Their star pitcher, Sadge Blake, is losing his touch and will retire at the end of this season. He will be replaced by Bab Goffmere, who was rejected by every other team in the league. Maybe he'll get better! Maybe the Zebras will be better NEXT year! I hope so.

Good news from the Clubhouse garden: tons of vegetables! broccoli, peppers, Swiss chard, brussel sprouts, string beans. We even got a few cantaloupe melons without even trying. We didn't plant 'em; they just grew out of the compost pile..."volunteers" as they're called. We must've thrown some cantaloupe seeds in there from last year. Well, we're having fun out here. Hope you're all having a great Fall!

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LET'S ALL GET CREATIVE

: : : Stick-Bound Book  : : :

For this project, you can create either a blank journal to write or draw in later, or a book containing your own text and/or illustrations! When finished, a stick will run parallel to the spine, on the front cover, 1/2" in from the spine edge. It's the stick, sewn to the book with raffia, that holds everything together!

Materials:
¥ paper (8.5"x11")
¥ cardstock, construction paper or heavy watercolor paper for cover
¥ ruler
¥ pencil
¥ hole-punch
¥ binder clip, clamp or clothespins (optional)
¥ stick
¥ raffia
¥ scissors

1) First, decide whether you will create a blank journal or a finished book. Also decide if you want the pages to be wide or tall. If you want a wide, short book, then cut the paper in half so it measures 5.5" wide by 4.25" tall. If you want a taller, narrower book, simply fold the paper in half so each piece of paper becomes a 4-page booklet measuring 4.25" wide by 5.5" tall.

2) If you wish to bind a finished book, then go ahead and create all the words and/or illustrations for it, leaving a 1.5" margin, or space, along the side of the page that will be bound. (If you are using both the front and back of the paper, the margin for the front will be on the left-hand side, and the margin for the back will be on the right-hand side.) If you are using folded pages, make sure the all folded edges are on the side that will be bound.

3) When all the pages for your book or journal are assembled, make a front and back cover for it. You may wish to decorate cardstock or construction paper. Or you could paint with watercolors on watercolor paper (the thicker, textured kind; you could even draw on it first with crayons and then paint with the watercolors to create a nice "crayon-resist" effect). The covers should be the same size or slightly larger than the pages.

4) Punch 2 or 3 evenly spaced holes 1/2" in from the spine edge of the covers. If your book is wider than it is tall, you will need 2 holes; if it is taller than it is wide, you will need 3 holes. Measure with a ruler and mark with a pencil before making the holes. For the first mark, measure 1/2" in from the left side and 1.5" down from the top. For the second mark, measure 1/2" in from the left side and 1.5" up from the bottom. The third mark (for a taller book only) should be made exactly in between the first two marks. Now go ahead and punch holes where the marks are. Punch both covers at the same time, making sure they're evenly stacked; remember the holes will be along the left side of the front cover and along the right side of the back cover. 

5) Stack the pages neatly, and place them evenly between the covers. You may use a binder clip, clamp or clothespins to keep the pages securely in place inside the covers. Line up your hole-punch with the cover holes, and push through to make holes simultaneously in as many pages as possible. You may need to do this a few pages at a time; just make sure the pages are lined up evenly before you make the holes. 

6) Once all the holes have been made, it's time to bind your book! For this step, you will need a stick approximately 1/4" thick and nearly as long as your book is tall. The stick should be as straight as possible. You also will need a piece of raffia at least twice the height of your book. Place the stick on the front cover, parallel to the spine, covering the holes. 

7) Begin sewing: Starting from the back, thread the raffia through the top hole. Come out the front (leaving about 6" of slack still hanging down from the back side of the book), wrap the raffia tightly around the stick, and then bring the raffia back down through the same hole (from front to back).

8) Continuing sewing (with the same piece of raffia) into the second hole just as you did the first: from back to front, around the stick, then back down through the same hole.

9) If there is a third hole, sew into it the same way.

10) Make sure the stick is held securely in place before tying the two ends of raffia into a square knot at the back. Both the sewing and the knot should be tight.

11) Trim raffia ends or split them into many finer strands for a different effect.

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FROM THE ZUCCHINI KITCHEN (Mmmm!)

: : : Pumpkin Cookies : : :

These cookies don't *look* like pumpkins; they're *made* from pumpkins and are delicious! This recipe is adapted from one found in Moosewood Restaurant New Classics (Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2001).

1/2 cup butter or nonhydrogenated margarine, at room temperature
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce, at room temperature
1 scant cup sugar
1 cup pumpkin puree (fresh or canned)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. allspice
1 cup chopped, toasted nuts (we like sliced almonds)
1 cup raisins or cranberries
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1) Preheat oven to 375.

2) In a mixing bowl, cream together butter/margarine, applesauce, and sugar. 

3) Add pumpkin puree, egg, and vanilla; mix well. 

4) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and allspice into the mixing bowl; mix well.

5) Add nuts, raisins, and chocolate chips; stir well.

6) Drop tablespoonfuls of batter onto unoiled baking sheet(s), leaving at least 1.5" of space in between.

7) Place baking sheet(s) in freezer for 5 minutes.

8) Place baking sheet(s) in preheated oven for 10-15 minutes, until cookies are just slightly brown on the bottom and seem done.

9) Transfer to a rack or plate to cool.

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JOKE TIME!

How does an elephant get down from a tree?
He sits on a leaf and waits until autumn!

Why don't skeletons ever go out on dates? 
Because they don't have any-body to go with!

What do you use to mend a jack-o-lantern? 
A pumpkin patch! 

What is a baby ghost's favorite game? 
Peekaboo!

What did one ghost say to the other ghost? 
"Do you believe in people?" 

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HEY! IT'S THE WORD OF THE DAY

: : : Chlorophyll  : : :

Definition:(noun) green pigment found in most plants.

Example: Chlorophyll, the chemical that gives leaves their green color, is used by trees to convert sunlight into food (tree food!) through a process called photosynthesis. During the winter months, there is not enough light for photosynthesis to take place, so trees need to rest and live off of the food they stored during the summer. As the days get shorter in autumn, the trees prepare for winter by shutting down their food production. Chlorophyll breaks down, making the green color disappear from the leaves. In its place, we see yellow and orange. Actually, small amounts of orange and yellow were present in the leaves from the start, but we couldn't see them because they were masked by the green chlorophyll.

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QUOTES OF THE SEASON

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds that you plant." - Robert Louis Stevenson

"I have great faith in a seed. Convince me that you have a seed there, and I am prepared to expect wonders."  -Henry David Thoreau

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ENIVIRO-TIP (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, or Precycle!)
 
Save energy by deciding what you want from the refrigerator before you open it!

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THAT'S EASY FOR YOU TO SAY!

Try saying this tongue-twister ten times, fast: 

"slingshot"

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This newsletter is written by Susan Meyer and the Zucchini Brothers. Thanks so much for subscribing to this newsletter and supporting The Zucchini Brothers! We hope to see you at an upcoming performance! And please consider calling or writing your local radio station to let them know you like our show!

Your Friends,
Steve, Jack & Sam Zucchini
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