Can Never Have Enough....

Last week my wife said something I thought I would never hear. No, it was not what you may be thinking. She said she was going to miss zucchini. By this time of year, who in their right mind would utter such a comment? One does not have to be a long-term gardener to know that zucchini are the rabbits of the vegetable family. They keep coming, and coming, and coming. By September you have pretty much have had your fill of zucchini, and other summer squash. Most would prefer not to see one again, but of course the following late spring, you have once again planted zucchini knowing that you have at least one crop that will produce. By this time of year you may be wishing for a frost more to get rid of the zucchini plant than to tone down the mosquitoes.

Two over-sized patty-pan squash

Left unattended for too long zucchini will get as big as whiffle ball bat. They get so big, JK Rowling missed the mark by not having a zucchini be the big club to fit into the giant hands of Hagrid’s half-brother Grawp in the Harry Potter series. Daily trudges to the garden are necessary to keep zucchini in check. Although, under the giant leaves they become hidden where they are difficult to notice and then they reach a size disproportionate to your desire. But, you can find a use for them, whether it is in baking bread, or cubing or cutting. This is where my wife has developed a new found love affair for zucchini. She purchased a spiralizer that can take normal sized (if there is such a thing) hunks of zucchini, and she has even done this to patty-pans, to create small noodles. I have to agree they are quite tasty, at least the way she prepares them. She has well expanded her repertoire for cooking summer squash that she actually enjoys the challenge of using this ever abundant crop. I have to say her culinary preparation of the summer squash family has had the effect of expanding my waistline. As one example, she has improved upon a recipe of oatmeal zucchini bread. I enjoy the bread which I love to, much to her chagrin, slather with peanut butter.

I need to admit that I have been an enabler for her cooking of zucchini. When I was in the library last week I happened to see a cookbook sitting for all to see titled The Classic Zucchini Cookbook. This book offered 225 recipes for zucchini and all types of squash. With zucchini being ever present I was surprised to see it not only so visible on and end cap display, but that it was still there. Perhaps it proves my thesis that all others are by now tired of zucchini and cannot wait for the first frost. An on-line search showed eleven copies in the South-Central Library system for just this one cookbook. She was as excited as teenage girl receiving seeing her rock idol when I showed her the cookbook. I think she wants to get a copy to add to her cookbook collection. As of last Sunday, she has made three recipes from that cookbook.  Three vary different dishes. Who knew you could get such variety with zucchini.  All were quite good.

Omelet made with zucchini with other garden vegetables

As fall begins to set in our summer squash crop will produce less and less.  This week we pulled the zucchini out, due to disease, and the patty-pan will likely follow in the next week or two, provided we do not have a frost.  I harvested the last zucchini for the season this past Sunday.  The days are shorter and the garden is in shade shortly after the Packer-Bear game kickoff.  Not much sunlight for a productive crop, even if it is zucchini.  For many recipes you cannot use frozen zucchini. Frozen will not work in her new toy--the spiralizer. I suppose a benefit of the spiralized zucchini is that is healthier than eating flour noodles. On the other hand, eating all that zucchini oat bread, while tasty, is probably not all that good for the body.  I can, however, justify eating it by knowing that she took the recipe and cut out some of the fat content.  The nice thing with zucchini bread is it can be made with zucchini that had been frozen.  As fall approaches and our zucchini supply has now come to an end, my wife will need to content herself with either purchased zucchini or regular noodles. As inventive as she is, however, perhaps she will spiral up some other vegetable to replace a noodle. That than gets to the question, can one ever have too much zucchini?