tanyaarts1@gmail.com It’s produce like this that are the reason this website exists. No matter how few plants you plant, there are always an overabundance of this fruit deemed vegetable. Fortunately, there are just as many ways to use the versatile summer squash.
Let’s start with some basic ideas to quickly preserve a large bounty.
- Dehydrate into chips or shredded for sneaking in all kinds of dishes
- Freeze dried
- Zucchini flour – especially great to save larger/woodier squash
- Zucchini butter *
- Zucchini relish (fermented version)
- Zucchini salsa *
- Pickles – either quick/vinegar* or fermented
- Gummy candy
- Zucchini berry jam *
- Ferment with your favorite spice combo
- Grated and portioned (according to your favorite bread or muffin recipe) and frozen
- Grated or chunked and canned for later – * yes, you can water bath can zucchini
There are a million possibilities for your dinner tonight, but here are several to choose from.
- Zucchini boats – make it Italian, Mexican, buffalo chicken, or even Indian
- Stir fry
- Cream of zucchini soup
- Casserole (or hot dish where I come from!)
- Lasagna
- Zucchini fritters or tots
- Zoodles
- Fried squash
- Or ferment into wine for dinner in a few months!
Summer squash really takes on the flavor of the dish you are making, you can hide it in most things, especially if you have picky kids. I figured it deserved a section of its own on how to veg up other dishes.
- Oatmeal
- Make mock pineapple
- Mock apple pie
- Shred into hamburgers or meatloaf
- Shred into spaghetti sauce
- Shred into chili and other stews
- Blend a bit into smoothies
The best way to hide it is in baked goods, and bonus – it makes for a super moist result!
- Bread or muffins
- Chocolate cake
- Bundt cake
- Brownies
- Cookies
- Savory Zucchini cheddar scones
- Bars
If you’ve grown even one plant, there are ways to use the entire thing.
- Salad using the leaves, blossoms and the fruit
- Penne made from the stems/vine
- Fried blossoms
- Add the leaves towards the end of cooking to your soup or stir fry
Don’t throw your scraps away! Here are some ways to use everything, no matter what your recipe calls for.
- Loaded zucchini skins
- Freeze dry and powder the skins to add extra nutrients to just about any dish
- Roast seeds from larger fruits
- Feed all the scraps to the chickens and turn them into eggs!
Once you’ve used all you can, make sure to add scraps to your compost bin to keep your garden producing the bounties that we love to consume in so many different ways!
