Celebrating the Gardens Bounty Week! All Hail the Mighty Zucchini!

The trouble is, you cannot grow just one zucchini. Minutes after you plant a single seed,

hundreds of zucchini will barge out of the ground and sprawl around the garden,

menacing the other vegetables. At night, you will be able to hear the ground quake

as more and more zucchinis erupt.

- Dave Barry

Well, we're back from our blog "vacation"!  This past week has been full of fun, and gave me a chance to get caught up on some of the work going on in my garden!  When I went out this morning, much to my dismay, there were 10 zucchini just aching to be picked.  While I LOVE zucchini and the bounty of my garden, to be honest I just wanted to turn my head and be in zucchini denial!   Once picked these wonders of the garden just have to be used up.  In gratitude though, and in knowing that people in this world of ours are suffering and hungry...no zucchini will go to waste!  Thank goodness though, for a friend who came over and took away two of the biggest one's for baking!

Here are a few creative and tasty ways to use up a zucchini!

First off...bring on the zucchini latkes!

You will need

1 zucchini...medium sized

2 potatoes

1 carrot

2 eggs

1/2 cup flour, (white or whole wheat)

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil, (or other vegetable oil)

So...get out your grater, and shred your zucchini, potatoes and carrot.  Put it all in a large bowl.  Add the eggs, flour and salt and pepper...stir it up.

Fill your fry pan with oil...at least a couple of cm worth.  Heat it up and drop in your batter by the tablespoon full.  Flatten it down and fry for 3 min per side.  Get out your sour cream and/or maple syrup and devour!

I usually serve this dish with a side salad, however on this night we are also drowning in beans, so beans and side salad it is!

The next best thing to do with zucchini is to make Chocolate Zucchini Bread!

You will need:

3 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup cocoa powder

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup applesauce

3 eggs

2/3 cup soymilk

2 cups shredded Zucchini

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla

Oil up 2 loaf pans.  Then get a large bowl and pour in all of your dry ingredients, give it a stir to get out any lumpy bits.  Make a well in the middle and add all the wet ingredients.  Stir it up and pour into your prepared loaf pans.  Put into an oven set to 350 degrees for 1 hour.

That's it!  What I've been doing is making two at a time and freezing one of the loaves for later!

And here is another favourite recipe from the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle.  It can be found HERE!  Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Honestly, try them...they're delicious!  And if you haven't already read the book, then GO and read it NOW!!!!  I insist!

Any of the leftover zucchinis that aren't used for baking get grated and put into freezer bags, in 2 cup amounts.  This way when I want to bake something in winter I have the perfect amount of zucchini per bag!

What do you do with your zucchini's...please share your ideas and zucchini inspiration!

Happy harvesting!

xo maureen