What do I do with massive amounts of zucchini?

[texasmama]

We have "Zucchini Gone Wild" here.  Our garden is insane.  The zucchini are over a foot long and huge!  I have about 10 of these!  My dh will eat some raw but none cooked.  One of the dc will not eat it at all.  I am planning to make stuffed, baked zucchini because someone told me about it.  I didn't care for it grilled.  I don't want to make a chocolate cake.  I don't think folks here will eat zucchini bread.  We are gluten free, but I can adapt any recipe to be gluten free so please help me with my zucchini problem and throw your best ideas and recipes at me!

[aufan]

I was going to suggest zucchini bread it never lasts a day here! What about putting some up to use in the winter time? We have lots of bags of frozen zucchini and squash that make great casseroles in the winter time!

[Coffeemama]

Zucchini pasta! Can be served raw or briefly tossed in a pan with olive oil. Top with your favorite sauce.

 

I have a spiral slicer but there are other ways to cut like with a mandolin or box shredder.

[StephanieZ]

You can use it to make quiche crusts. :) 

[Mrs Mungo]

Chocolate zucchini cupcakes.

 

http://www.bhg.com/recipe/cupcakes/choco-zucchini-cupcakes/

[Saddlemomma]

I shred zucchini, measure it out into freezer baggies at 3 cups each and freeze it to make zucchini cakes and bread throughout the year.  My dh also makes about 5 zucchini pies and freezes them.  That way, we can just pull one out whenever we want and cook it.  The pie actually tastes exactly like fresh apple pie!  We have fooled several die-hard zucchini haters with this pie.  The could not tell the difference and swore it was apple pie.  It's really delicious.

[texasmama]

Okay, these are good ideas. I'm starting to have some hope of using all of these zucchinis!  Freezing some is a good idea, as well.  This is not anyone's favorite veggie, but the kids wanted to plant some.  This is our first time to grow it so I had no idea it would take off like this!

[texasmama]

I shred zucchini, measure it out into freezer baggies at 3 cups each and freeze it to make zucchini cakes and bread throughout the year.  My dh also makes about 5 zucchini pies and freezes them.  That way, we can just pull one out whenever we want and cook it.  The pie actually tastes exactly like fresh apple pie!  We have fooled several die-hard zucchini haters with this pie.  The could not tell the difference and swore it was apple pie.  It's really delicious.

You're going to have to hit me with the recipe for zucchini pie that tastes like apple pie.  This is more insane than the size and amount of our zucchini!

[texasmama]

Also, should I blanch before freezing or just chop/grate and freeze raw?

 

Maybe I should try some zucchini bread....

[greenbabybottoms]

I have celiac disease and I've been using a lot of zucchini this summer. My kids and I have fallen in love with lasagna made with thinly sliced zucchini instead of noodles, mini pizzas made in a slice of zucchini instead of dough.

 

I'm also very curious about the pie.

[Amber in SJ]

Another vote for shred & freeze.  Defrosted and drained it can go into almost anything.  I put it in homemade pasta sauce, add it to lasagne or pasta shell filling and sneak it into meatballs.  Shredded zucchini can also go into chicken enchilada filling.  When it is not so hot I make zucchini muffins, bread or cake.  Zucchini can go into Minestrone or any veggie soup and then into the freezer.

 

Hth,

 

Amber in SJ

[MyThreeSons]

Okay, these are good ideas. I'm starting to have some hope of using all of these zucchinis!  Freezing some is a good idea, as well.  This is not anyone's favorite veggie, but the kids wanted to plant some.  This is our first time to grow it so I had no idea it would take off like this!

Share it with your neighbors. If they don't want it, teach your kids to play doorbell ditch.

[*Lulu*]

Shredded zuchinini is awesome in spaghetti, lasagna, and soups of all sorts. (Also, if it is very finly shredded picky people will not be able to find it or pick it out. So speaks the voice of experience. :P )

[*Lulu*]

Failing that, you could go with my personal favorite way to deal with squash overload-

 

Fill a bag, put it on a neighbor's doorstep, ring the bell, and run!

[Renthead Mommy]

Ours have gone crazy as well. I blanch before freezing slices or quarters, but not shredded. I add shredded into meatballs, meatloaf, hide insauces. The best is to use it for latkes. Same recipe as potato latkes (just look on all recipes. com) but I do it in the non stick electric so i don't use oil (like traditional latkes). So good with either sour cream or applesauce.

 

Today I canned 6 pint jars of zucchini pickles. Found it in the Ball canning book. They work just like cukes and tasted great. Going to try and do dill zucchini pickles next.

 

I also use them as pasta, but like spagetti squas, i am the only one who will eat it at my house.

[Renthead Mommy]

I am also going to try putting them in dehydrator to use in soups and sauces. Hopefully will work and save freezer space.

[PrairieSong]

Do you have a food bank that will accept fresh produce? Can you take them to church or another public place and put them in a box that says "free"?

[OrganicAnn]

I would try out every recipe for zucchini bread, zucchini muffins, zucchini chocolate cake or similar baked goods.   When I find the best recipe, I would then shred the zucchini and freeze it in the amounts necessary for my favorite recipe.    Use your biggest zucchini for baked goods.  Smaller zucchini for sauteing with garlic, onions, tomatoes then topped with cheese.  

 

There was a small town in New Hampshire or somewhere like that.  It had a "Gift someone else with Zucchini Day".  The person writing the story had dropped off his extra zucchini at various houses and ran an errand only to find zucchini left in his unlocked car. 

[LibraryLover]

Shred and freeze.  You can use it for anything.

[Amy in NH]

At the end of last summer I made a gallon of zucchini relish that just ran out last weekend.  It was great!

 

I'm curious about the zucchini pickles mentioned above.  Do they have the same crisp as cucumber pickles?

[Punchie]

Failing that, you could go with my personal favorite way to deal with squash overload-

 

Fill a bag, put it on a neighbor's doorstep, ring the bell, and run!

 

Is it bad that this was my first reaction when I saw the title of this thread? My husband has banned me from growing zucchini in our garden b/c of the sheer volume of zucchini we would get.

[Susann]

Zucchini Pie-YUM!!!! Not the main dish type but the dessert type. Kinda' like sugar cream pie. I think this is the recipe I used last year: 

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/zucchini-pie-i/

[Prairie~Phlox]

Just a tip, next time don't let them get that big. They are much better small. We all love zucchini here. Zucchini chips, fried zucchini, zuchhini steamed in the microwave with cheese. Also shredded for brownies, bread and cakes.

[Χά�ων]

Zucchini pizza rounds are great for the big ones!

 

Mine didn't make it this year. You can send some to me and I will eat them :)

[Aunty Social]

I shred zucchini, measure it out into freezer baggies at 3 cups each and freeze it to make zucchini cakes and bread throughout the year. My dh also makes about 5 zucchini pies and freezes them. That way, we can just pull one out whenever we want and cook it. The pie actually tastes exactly like fresh apple pie! We have fooled several die-hard zucchini haters with this pie. The could not tell the difference and swore it was apple pie. It's really delicious.

Could you post the recipe or a link? Sounds like a great way to use up our overflow as well!

[4kidlets4me]

Zucchini bread

Zucchini pickles. I made 8 jars of them last year and they were a hit even among the zucchini haters.

[Clear Creek]

Zucchini relish.  Amazing stuff.

[helena]

I have two gluten free suggestions.

Calabacitas, a Mexican side dish with diced zucchini, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, chili, cheese, etc. 

and Cilantro Zucchini Soup, a simple soup of zucchini, cilantro, serranos, and onion. Garnished with sour cream and fresh chips on top. Are corn tortillas gluten free? 

[MistyMountain]

Zucchini pasta is really good. You can also make a pizza crust with zucchini. Zucchini is also good to put in quiches. You can shred it if kids don't like the texture of bigger pieces. You can add some to smoothies or shred it and add it to things like past sauces. Zucchini bread or muffins are really yummy. I make veggie pancakes with shredded carrots, zucchini, egg, milk, flour and baking soda. The kids love those. You can make veggie sticks by cutting them dipping them in egg and breading them. You can make Mexican Zucchini soup.

 

ETA: I missed the gluten free part but you can use gluten free versions.

[MomtoCandJ]

Zucchini cookies :) my aunt makes them like chocolate chip pumpkin cookies.

[City Mouse]

Just a tip, next time don't let them get that big. They are much better small. We all love zucchini here. Zucchini chips, fried zucchini, zuchhini steamed in the microwave with cheese. Also shredded for brownies, bread and cakes.

I 2nd this. Once they get as big as you are describing about the only thing they are good for is shredding.

[Prairie~Phlox]

Oh, I just made waffle this morning using some shredded, you could also puree it. If you can, SB Canning is working on a pock pineapple using zucchini. Sbcanning.com

[Melissa in Australia]

What we do is chuck the big ones to the chooks. They love them. We only eat them when they are small. According to my gardening book a plant makes a certain weight of Zucchini  then dies. so if you let them get away and grow big you actually shorten the time of Zucchini harvest, whereas if you pick them all the time while small you get more useful zucchini over an extended time. Zucchini is a useful bulker in food. I grate it and add it to dishes like rissoles ( hamburger patties) spaghetti and things like that.

[Karen in CO]

I always make zucchini fritters. I make them gf and have found some paleo recipes that work well too. I make huge batches of them and serve for dinner. Freeze any leftover shredded zucchini.

[bibliophile]

Zucchini is great to dehydrate and takes up very little space to store. We throw it into soups all winter.

 

My kids love "fruit snacks" made from zucchini and koolaid (or natural flavor extracts). it is a great way to use the large zucchinis. http://choosetothrive.blogspot.com/2010/09/i-just-made-killer-fruit-snacks-out-of.html

[texasmama]

Thanks for all of these ideas!  Many of these will be very doable for me.  My son who won't eat it says he will try it fried so I will give that a whirl, as well.  He does eat okra fried so I have hope.  :)

 

The relish recipes remind me of my great-grandmother's "chow chow".  I think that is just a regional term for the same dish.  It was really good!

 

I never intended for them to get so massive.  That happened as a result of me being busy, the kids neglecting their zucchini duties and the fact that the leaves are so big and dense that I swear I didn't see some of them.  Yellow squash is so much easier to see.  :)

 

I have given away some of it, but it just keeps coming.  We have a couple of okra plants that are crazy producers, too.  At least we have found what will grow well in our summer garden.  :)

[chepyl]

Chocolate zucchini bread! We had a lot last summer, I shredded it and added it to everything! Spaghetti sauce, chicken, soups....sneaky way to get veggies on picky eaters ;)

[saraha]

I want to sauté some zuc with squash and onions. What kind of seasonings would you sprinkle on?

[Doodle]

We like this recipe. My husband just made this again tonight. Delicious!

 

Mandy's Crab Stuffed Zucchini

 

[LucyStoner]

Low carb pizza?  It's the shape of french bread pizza, but that's squash instead of crust.  Yum.  

 

[Maus]

Share it with your neighbors. If they don't want it, teach your kids to play doorbell ditch.

 

 

Failing that, you could go with my personal favorite way to deal with squash overload-

 

Fill a bag, put it on a neighbor's doorstep, ring the bell, and run!

 

 

Is it bad that this was my first reaction when I saw the title of this thread? My husband has banned me from growing zucchini in our garden b/c of the sheer volume of zucchini we would get.

:lol: I live in Utah county, Utah, which has a very high percentage of LDS folks -- which is only important to the joke because it's an LDS custom to share excess home-grown produce with the other members of your congregation -- and a great climate for growing zucchini.  There is a joke, probably wide spread, but the local version goes like this:

 

John's friends were visiting from out of state for the weekend, so John shows them all the local sights.  They go to a BYU football game.  They go to the mall.  They go hiking up the canyon.  They go out to eat.  Finally, they go to church with John on Sunday.

 

As they are getting in the car, the friends ask curiously, "John, we noticed that you never locked the car anywhere went, except here at church.  Is this a particularly bad neighborhood?"

 

"Oh, no," says John.  "It's just that it's zucchini season.  If you don't lock your doors, you'll come out to find your car stuffed full of zucchini."

[momto10blessings]

My favorite way to eat zucchini? Chocolate chocolate-chip zucchini bread. Yum!

[tex-mex]

I have two gluten free suggestions.

Calabacitas, a Mexican side dish with diced zucchini, tomatoes, corn, cilantro, chili, cheese, etc. 

and Cilantro Zucchini Soup, a simple soup of zucchini, cilantro, serranos, and onion. Garnished with sour cream and fresh chips on top. Are corn tortillas gluten free? 

 

:thumbup: Reminds me of when I was a kid and my Great-Auntie (Tia) would make a dish fresh from the garden zucchini -- in large chunks sauteed in a tomato sauce base with fresh garlic, ground cumin seeds, oil and seasonings.  On a hot summer day that was the best dish to eat!!

[LAS in LA]

The Nourishing Traditions cookbook has a delicious soup recipe called "Potage Bonne Femme" (Good Woman Soup?!).  It calls for 4 zucchini.

[helena]

:thumbup: Reminds me of when I was a kid and my Great-Auntie (Tia) would make a dish fresh from the garden zucchini -- in large chunks sauteed in a tomato sauce base with fresh garlic, ground cumin seeds, oil and seasonings.  On a hot summer day that was the best dish to eat!!

I'm making it tonight with dinner. :)

Did your aunt grind the cumin herself? If so did she roast them first?