What Am I Going To Do With All of This Zucchini?
The benefits of zucchini, cooking tips, and recipes
We do it every year. We buy a few zucchini starters from our favorite nursery. We plant them - just tiny little things in our garden. And … Wham! A few weeks later, zucchini starts appearing. Repeatedly.
It rained one day last week, so we didn’t make it out to our garden for two days. Three large zucchini needed to be harvested. Then the heat set in for the weekend. Four more zucchini appeared.
I’ve seen the memes where friends ‘ignore’ their gardening friends for a few weeks, as they know they’ll always show up with a zucchini in hand. That’s me right now.
But I also took a lesson from a woman who has a plot near us. “Freeze it,” she said.
Freeze it?
Yup, you can freeze zucchini. Here's how:
Shred the zucchini using a grater or the shredding attachment on your food processor.
Remove excess moisture by placing it in a colander and squeezing out excess liquid. This prevents a soggy mess when you thaw and use it later.
Portion and package it appropriately. My favorite zucchini bread calls for 1 ½ cups, so I have multiple bags with that measurement. I’ve created lots of bags with 1 cup, as I can pull them easily for lasagna or soups, and use them in whatever quantity I desire.
Label the bags and freeze them with the date, contents, and quantity inside.
I place mine in bags, level them out so they are as flat as possible, and freeze a layer for a bit before adding more on top. This way, they are easy to stack, and won’t stick together as I add other veggies in the future.
This is what I LOVE about gardening. Every year, I learn something new. Something about the food process, how to use it, how to save it, how to make it healthier. I love that …
A Quick Dive into Zucchini
They seem to be a staple in every garden, farmer’s market, and even in grocery stores. You can get a bag of zucchini and yellow squash year-round in the Costco produce section.
Zucchini is a summer squash, part of the Cucurbitaceae family. They typically have solid, dark green skins, but may be different shades of yellow and green, or even striped and speckled.
Zucchinis are long and cylindrical, with a stem connected to the vine. You’ll find a flower end, and when picked early, you can also eat the flower. You have to catch them fast, though, because I’m always amazed at how fast the zucchini appears.
There’s a reason to eat your zucchini this time of year. A one-cup serving provides you with 32 percent of your vitamin C, and a host of antioxidant carotenoids, including lutein and beta-carotene. It has anti-inflammatory benefits that have been shown to help with gut health, as well as many other health benefits.
Trying to cut calories? Give “zoodles” a try. Replace your traditional noodles with zucchini noodles, and you’ll limit your carbohydrates and avoid blood sugar spikes common with wheat pasta.
Need additional fiber? Zucchini is a good source of fiber with 2 grams per one medium fruit. Adding this to your meals can help with digestive issues like bloating or constipation.
Want to boost your immunity? Start with zucchini’s fiber, a good way to bring balance between the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ bacteria in your gut. Zucchini also has vitamin C, which aids in fighting off viruses and other invaders, as well as helps tissue heal after illness or injury.
And remember the antioxidant benefits I spoke of earlier? Zucchini mirrors carrots' role in helping certain eye conditions. A rainbow of colors can help you get a variety of carotenoids into your diet. Your body - and eyes - will thank you.
Using Zucchini in oh, so many ways!
Did you know you can eat the entire plant? The leaves are often used in Mediterranean dishes like stuffed leaves (instead of stuffed grape leaves). The flowers can be stuffed or sautéed or baked. The fruit itself can be used for breakfast, lunch or dinner, including smoothies and ice cream.
Let me start by telling you all the ways I’ve used zucchini this year. Then I’ll give you several links to recipes I’ve used, so you can try them yourself.
All those antioxidants are a great way to kick-start your day!
When I use zucchini fresh from the garden, I often have leftover zucchini, so I stick them in the fridge. It never goes to waste - just pop the leftovers into the blender the following morning for my superfood smoothie.
A super easy, busy night meal option!
Here’s my recipe for busy night meals. (It’s so good, I use it on holidays too!) I whip up a batch of tofu and stick it in my fridge in the morning to marinate. Then I’ll use a variety of veggies from my garden (or farmer’s market) and saute them with the leftover marinade. This weekend, my veggies included zucchini, green beans, yellow squash, and a few tomatoes. Yum!
Instead of cucumber sandwiches …
Make zucchini sandwiches instead! Start with a layer of hummus or cashew cheese. Then include avocado, tomato, spinach, sprouts, and zucchini. You can layer them raw, or saute or grill them for extra flavor. You don’t need a recipe for this - make them any way you choose. Or use one of my favs - anytime I can make pesto from my garden’s herbs, it’s a win!
Use those squash flowers!
I’m thinking of adding an extra zucchini plant to my garden next year just so I can harvest more flowers. It’s amazing all the things you can do with them. Like this recipe. I adore Gaz’s YouTube channel, and his recipes are just as gorgeous. Because it’s all about gardening and homesteading, he also has a ton of zucchini (courgettes) popping up throughout the summer. What he does with the flowers is truly … Yum!
The original dessert … Zucchini Bread!
What do you think of when you think of zucchini? Most people will say: Zucchini Bread! I've tried A LOT of recipes, first, to find a vegan recipe, and then, to reduce oil and all the bad stuff. I fell in love with TheFirstMess years ago, and this recipe continues to be my go-to for zucchini bread. I use it so much, I have it memorized!
We all scream for ice cream!
If you’re new around here, let’s just say I love me some ice cream. Way back, my husband and I created a life plan that included investing in an ice cream store as a part of our retirement plans. We envisioned a cute store, a gorgeous beach, and happy people indulging in ice cream. That’s not part of our plans anymore, but we’ll never say no to ice cream. (Vegan whenever possible.)
My daughter is so much into it, that she requested the ice cream attachment to her Kitchen Aid mixer last Christmas. This summer, she’s been whipping together this fantastic recipe for Zucchini Bread Almond Milk Ice Cream.
Yes, this is just a start to all the gorgeous things you can do with zucchini. If you have too much growing in your garden, I encourage you to get creative with this fruit. There really is so much you can do.
And if you have a favorite recipe, let me know! I’m always on the lookout for more ways to use this delicious food.
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I make a delicious and simple zucchini soup that can be frozen. Sauté some garlic in olive oil, add large chunks of zucchini, stir for a few minutes, add salt and enough water to cover the zucchini and cook until zucchini become soft. Blend, and there is your soup. No need to add cream or anything else. The trick is to not put too much water, so it’s a thick soup. You can always add water if you don’t have enough, but too much water it will be watery and that’s difficult to fix. I like to serve the soup with the then slice or two of Parmesan.
Exactly! Zucchini ice cream - my jaw almost touched the ground. But love the idea. My fav ways to use up zucchini are cooking with lentils ( split yellow or red lentils) & make a spicy chutney out of it. I have the zucchini lentils with rice. And the chutney as a spread on warm pita sandwich with sliced onions, tomatoes & feta cheese.