Too Much Zucchini!?!

So your zucchini plants are responding to all the rain we had this summer with a plethora of fruit! And you're trying valiantly to avoid all those zucchini casserole recipes that use canned cream-of-something soup and gobs of sour cream. Never fear - we can help!

First a word or two on cooking zucchini.

Smaller zucchini are much easier to use up than BIG zucchini. Not only is there less zucchini to eat, but the seeds are smaller and the skin is more tender. Yes, we knew you already figured that out!
Never, never boil zucchini. Blech! Zucchini are very watery to start with and your goal in cooking them must be to remove (evaporate) water, not cook them in it! Instead of boiling them, try sauteing them in a very small amount of olive oil - or put some aluminum foil over the grill and grill them!
Grated zucchini is a good addition to baked goods like muffins and pancakes - and the ubiquitous zucchini bread. Grated zucchini freezes very well; just grate, package and freeze. No blanching required.
Grated zucchini can be an interesting change from diced or sliced zucchini in vegetable dishes, as well. Grate it and let it drain for a couple of hours, then substitute it for the potato in potato pancakes. We've also tossed a little grated zucchini in scrambled eggs on occasion.

Sauteed Zucchini

Ingredients

Olive oil
Zucchini - 1 small zuke per person
Imagination

Lightly oil a frying pan with the olive oil and heat it to medium. Slice or cube your zucchini. Sautee the zucchini pieces in the olive oil until limp. If you like, you can continue to cook them until they brown up a bit. At any point, add a liberal dose of imagination. Lets face it - zucchini is pretty bland stuff - which means it goes with almost anything! Sweet peppers, especially colored types, add contrasting color and texture. Hot peppers add heat! Onions and garlic are great additions, as are a few of those fresh tomatoes from your garden. Button mushrooms are good - and portabellas are GREAT! Maybe you'd like some finely chopped walnuts. Try adding a teaspoon or two of fresh grated ginger - NOT the powdered stuff. Toss a little grated cheese on as you remove the dish from the heat. And don't forget sauces - soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, maybe even barbecue sauce!

Zucchini Salad

Serve at room temperature.
Excellent with good bread for summer meals!

Ingredients

olive oil
5 small zucchini
4 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
lemon juice
salt & pepper to taste

Trim the ends off the zucchini and slice. You can slice them either across the fruit or lengthwise. Heat the olive oil and brown half the zucchini slices in the oil. Slices should be golden brown and not soggy. Don't use any more oil than absolutely necessary! Transfer slices to a serving platter and sprinkle with chopped mint, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Repeat with the second half of the zucchini. Serve at room temperature.

Zucchini Relish

For the Big One That Got Away!

Ingredients

12 cups grated zucchini
4 cups grated onion
5 tablespoons pickling salt
For the syrup:
2 1/2 cups white vinegar
6 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seed
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
3/4 tablespoon cornstarch
3/4 teaspoon tumeric
3/4 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Combine zucchini, onion and salt in a colander and let stand overnight. Rinse with cold water and let drain. In a large kettle, combine syrup ingredients and cook until thickened. Add vegetables and cook 30 minutes. Process in pint canning jars for 10 minutes. Makes approximately 7 pints.

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Hummingbird Farm
Where Innovative Gardeners' Ideas Take Root!
Brian and Cindy Tibbetts
202 Bean Street Turner, Maine 04282
(207) 224-8220 hummingbird@megalink.net
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