I suppose that's one way to get rid of, ummm I mean celebrate, zucchini :-)

Well if that's what day it is, how 'bout sneaking a couple onto my porch? I just picked my FIRST yesterday--a gold scallop, and I picked it a little smaller than I usually would, 3 1/2" across. Couldn't wait any more! Don't really have anything else "in the wings" yet either! If I get enough to give to the neighbors this year (they love them), it's not gonna be for at least a month!

I was curious when I saw your post, so I googled it! Whodathunk!

Skybird

Here is a link that might be useful: About the Holiday!

Every summer I say, "Next year I'm only going to grow one plant." But somehow late spring rolls around and I forget. I have ten large zucchinis sitting on my kitchen counter right now and lots more ready to be picked in the next few days.

I'm averaging about 3 zucchinis every other day from a couple of plants, a Cocozelle and a Black Beauty.

So what do you guys use your zucchini for?

My family won't eat zuccini as a vegetable, but I make zucchini muffins, both sweet ones, as well as a savory recipe. I've also made zucchini candy for the kids recently (nibbling on some now, as a matter of fact).

There's a thread on the Harvest Forum about 101 uses for zucchini. I'll post the link in case anyone is interested.

Here is a link that might be useful: 101 things to make with zucchini

Reminds me of a story told by a buddy from Ottumwa, Iowa;

When he was growing up everyone left their car doors unlocked it was so safe. Except in September-- you had to lock your car or you would find it filled with everyones excess zucchini.

Zuccini has been created by GOD to encourage backyard gardeners to continue. Anybody can have a bumper crop of Z's. The secret is to go out every evening and pick anything longer than 5 inches. If not you will end up with clubs that should go directly into the compost pile.

I made this healthier zucchini bread recipe last summer and I've got one in the oven right now. I substituted ground flax seed in place of the wheat germ and chocolate chips in place of raisins. I have made it with all whole wheat flour too but this time I did half white flour. Yum!

Here is a link that might be useful: Zucchini bread recipe link

I never even knew what zucchini could/should be until I worked as a line cook in a restaurant. One of the dishes I cooked was an omelet that included diced zucchini as an ingredient. I made a face and the guy training me laughed and asked me to describe a zucchini. I described the typical garden variety two foot long, as big around as a football, the bigger the better monster I had always seen.

He reached into a box and pulled out something smaller than a cucumber. It was firm, seeds not formed much at all, meaty.

AND DELICIOUS.

Why does everybody ruin these things? And take pride in growing the biggest, least tasty ones they can?

Last year my zucchini plants got too big and took over half my garden, so this year I decided to plant them outside of the raised bed in the regular soil, with a little garden soil tilled in. They're still alive, but tiny, and not a single zuch. Guess that shows how much the soil quality matters. Oh well, not a big loss, but I figured they'd grow anywhere, which obviously isn't the case.

OK, I am sitting at work and laughing my head off from this post. What a great way to start a Monday morning.

I am not growing any squash this year at all as the bears have become too numerous. At first, they only ate the pumpkins. Last year they progressed to the zukes. My neighbor has a big patch of them and I pick up the stems of the bear munched ones off my driveway most mornings.

I loved the story about Iowa and locked cars. My husband thinks that zukes are the answer to world hunger. He thinks all care packages to 3rd world countries should include seeds!

Many thanks for the Monday morning laugh, Nancy

I agree that smaller is much tastier.

I have about four zukes that I didn't get to before they got a bit too big so I'm making raw zucchini hummus out of them for tonight's book club...

Here is a link that might be useful: Raw Zucchini Hummus Recipe

Oooh, thanks for that recipe, Charlene! My vegetarian sister is coming for a visit, and I was going to make Hummus for her, but I really don't care for chickpeas, so this is perfect. Plus, it uses something I'm growing!

I'm starting to harvest LOTS of zucchini!

Yes, it is hard to keep up with them. Usually, I go thru the plants twice a week but that isn't really often enuf!

There's a truck farm down the road from the big veggie garden. It is one of the few left in the area and the guy is 2nd generation and getting old. I can remember the huge raspberry patch that his parents had!

Anyway, I guess he grows something else, somewhere else. The fields near his house are summer squash, year after year after year. His last planting is just coming up!

His example is part of the reason why I plant zucchini in succession. Since they were all set out as started plants this year, I'm not really sure when my last zuke seed was sown. Probably around July 4th.

That has been my practice for a number of years - plant a 2nd crop about the 1st of July. Actually, it was about a 3rd crop this year and I've got plants in all sizes right now. None, however, that are just coming up!

He must know what he is doing but maybe variety choice is important. He gets a couple of weeks of MASSIVE harvests in each field and then they are done. It kind of looks as tho' his workers go thru the plants daily.

Steve

nancy_in_co said

"My husband thinks that zukes are the answer to world hunger. He thinks all care packages to 3rd world countries should include seeds!"

hehe I think he could be right :-)