Using all that Zucchini

Zucchini season is in full swing here in the northeast, and I’m wondering how people keep up with the abundance. I sauté a lot of mine in olive and garlic. And sometimes I make zucchini fritters. I also make this olive oil zucchini bread a lot. But there’s always more to use up and I don’t like letting it go to waste. Does anyone have any favorite recipes to share? Thanks

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Ooh, good thread. I love having too much zucchini!

My Mom’s Zucchini Soup:

Shredded zucchini (however much you need to get rid of)
Chicken or vegetable broth (enough to make it soupy)
Salt, pepper, and lemon juice to taste.

Combine and simmer until tender.

That’s all. It’s delicious. Also works as “yellow squash soup” and “cucumber soup”. :slight_smile:

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Great post! My gigantic green Italian variety zucchini is started to come in. There are two or three babies on now. Cannot wait to eat them. Not only do they make a great cold soup the are just so sweet when small. I have a cold summer squash or cold zucchini recipe.

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I like them as “zoodles” in this recipe, not terribly authentic but super tasty riff on pad thai

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a local restaurant here has fried breaded zucchini fries for appetizers. dipped in horseradish sauce they are to die for! my aunt used to make a zucchini lasagna with zucchini instead of noodles.

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Well, there is just so much that we can eat right now

Any suggestions for longer term storage or preservation in raw or semi-raw state for winter use.

I think that grilling or roasting seems the most sensible for pre-cooked storage.

Do they dehydrate well? How best to store raw for later use.

Any suggestions?

Mike

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Stuffed zucchini boats:

Jalapeno zucchini poppers: (I haven’t used this exact recipe, but something similar w/o bacon.)

I haven’t tried to make zucchini bread yet, but that is a delicious option.

I just came back from a two week vacation and I had some absolutely huge zucchini, one must have been over 5 pounds.

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My recipe this year is not growing any zucchini

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Zucchini Bread:

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups shredded zucchini
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

325° for about 50 to 60 minutes depending on your oven. I like to sprinkle coarse sugar on the top too. I do not care for nuts in my breads but go ahead…add your favorite nuts! If you like some chocolate add some chocolate. This recipe is delicious!!!

I use the very recipe for banana bread too! same ratio ripe banana to zucchini. As we speak I am trying it out using my shredded apples! I will report back!

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Substitute zucchhini for eggplant in a eggplant parmesan recipe .

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I make zucchini bread every late summer for hunting camp, but always make more than I need for camp. I use the small single use foil pans, after baking I let them cool overnight with a clean towel draped on top. Next morning a put a layer of foil over-top the individual loaves and crimp to the pan edge. I put as many as fit (2-3) in a gallon Ziploc freezer bag and freeze. They last about a year and somehow still taste great in the end. I know that isn’t quite what you were wanting, but still a great way to enjoy some zuke long after the bounty is gone.

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I had two weeks of zucchini. Damn SVB already got them despite trying multiple controls. :rage::sweat_smile:

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Muffins and bread for days.

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Grilling (and freezing) is our favorite way of preserving them for winter use. Much easier than blanching in water, and the zukes don’t get soggy (air cooled after grilling).

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I discovered this relish recipe last year - we loved it! Tastes like typical hamburger/hotdog relish. And since you can can it it’s good for keeping.

I eliminated the nutmeg and added 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and a generous 1/4 teaspoon pickling spice, tied in a cheesecloth bag, because we like it spicy. You can also make it with yellow squash or cucumber. SVB got all my squash this year, so I may have to go buy some squash to make another batch!

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I wonder if you can ferment them.

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I made some zoodles last night with a sauce made with fresh tomatoes, olive oil, capers, basil, oregano, garlic, salt, fresh cracked pepper and a finely chopped hot pepper (Scarlet Lantern). I probably overcooked the zoodles and didn’t make enough of them for the amount of sauce, so while it tasted great it was more like a ratatouille without eggplant than something that seemed like true noodles. I’ll definitely make it again, but with twice the amount of zoodles.


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This is useful as I am overrun with mutant squash… I wasn’t planning on planting zucchini this year as I don’t love eating them every meal. However I found a mutant squash growing in my backyard and decided I would nurture it as I love squash blossoms and would miss them this summer.

NowI have a massive 8’x10’ squash plant that produces massive pumpkin shaped zucchini like fruit:

The fruit tastes like a sweet mild zucchini (even when large) but not exactly like a zucchini. It has a thin edible skin and seems to turn darker green instead of orange the longer I leave it on the vine. The plant has tendrils like a winter squash. Also, it produces around 10 blossoms a day.

My favorite way to eat it (and zucchini when I grew them) is smoked. It really picks up great smokey flavor. I also love making boats with Italian sausage like posted above. I will need to try some of those other recipes and some bread. There are about 4 more giant ones that are not pictured. I wonder if they will store like a pumpkin.

I really wish I could propagate this plant as it is way tastier than zucchini and pumpkins and the amount of squash blossoms is wonderful. I will save seeds, but I know that probably not work to produce the same plant.

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Out of curiosity, what did you grow last year that made the seed from which it came? Maybe you could make that cross next year and save seed for future years, or better yet work this thing out and patent your new hybrid that is all the rave.

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I live in very dense area, so likely whatever created it wasn’t from my yard alone as I don’t think I’ve ever grown winter squash or a squash with tendrils. I couldn’t even have a garden last summer because we were remodeling, and before that, I only grew zucchini in my front yard.

Anyway, if I manage to propagate it consistently from seed, I will definitely spread the pumpchini (my mom named it) love to all who have room for the beast of a plant. It also grew to its massive size in crappy rocky clay soil with almost no fertilizer and very little water. It’s leaves are now serving as mulch around my new bananas and mulberry tree. The main plant is about 8’x10’ but some of the stray vines are a good 20’ feet away from the roots. Gardening sure is an adventure sometimes!

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