These tender skinned North American natives are the very symbol of summer's bounty. Heavy producers of delightful fruit that can be baked, stirfried or eaten fresh with a dip. Gardeners don't need to let themselves get swamped with an over abundance of zucchini either. The flowers are a gourmet treat; excellent fresh in a salad, coated in batter and deep fried, or added to soups at the last minute. Picking the flowers and the young squash encourages more blossoms to grow for harvest into the autumn.