Patty Pans

Patty pan squash has begun showing up on market tables. That's the variety of summer squash that looks like a flying saucer. Sunburst squash are yellow patty pans.

My business is named "Patty Pan." I was looking for a catchy vegetable name, and I figured the alliteration worked well for Coca Cola, which is the most widely recognized brand name in the world.Of course everyone always asks me if I'm Patty. I've even begun answering to "Patty," because it's easier than correcting people. Sometimes I keep a squash on my market table so I can point to it and say, "No, that's Patty."

I don't even like patty pan squash all that much, although I'm happy with it as a name for my business. But for dinner I'm partial to the denser, heartier varieties of winter squash, like delicatas and hubbards.