Ok. So its been hot this summer. Really hot. But am I complaining? No. I love the heat and how its making my garden grow. My urban farm is so out off the hook this year, that I can’t even eat it as fast as its growing! In fact, I can’t even pick it as fast as its growing! Yesterday, during my daily forage, I found this:
On the left is a normal-sized zucchini. On the right is Big Ang (what my husband named her).
Is bigger really better? Would it be safe to eat? Should I have let it continue to grow and enter in a contest?
These were some of the questions that entered my mind as my husband and I stared at Big Ang in amazement.
After consulting with “experts” (read: posting about it on Facebook), I found out that yes, it was safe to eat but no, bigger isn’t better. As zucchini get larger, they lose their delicate texture and sweetness.
A woman at the Farmer’s Market told me to use the flesh for zucchini bread and save the seeds for next year. My good friend, Billee, seconded that suggestion. Here is the link on how to save seeds. And here is my take on Billee’s Mom’s zucchini bread recipe:
Big Ang’s Zucchini Bread
makes two loaves.
Ingredients:
3 cups flour
1 cup sugar
½ cup + 2 tbsp brown sugar
4 ½ tsp baking powder
4 eggs
pinch of sea salt
½ cup butter, melted and cooled
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 cups shredded zucchini
a heaping handful of chocolate chips (optional…but makes kids more likely to eat it)
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 & grease & flour 2 loaf pans
1. In a large bowl mix flour, salt, sugars (exept for the extra 2 tbsp of brown sugar) & baking powder
2. In another bowl beat eggs, butter, applesauce, and zucchini
3. Mix the first bowl into the second bowl, along with the chocolate chips
4. Pour ½ into each pan, sprinkle 1 tbsp of the remaining sugar on each, and bake for 50 min-1 hour.
Eat one & freeze the other to enjoy sometime in the future when you are no longer cursing all of the zucchini growing in your garden.
As we speak, more and more zucchini are growing in my garden. What do you suggest I cook with my crop?
My neighbour grows these monster zucchinis up at her farm and brings them back to the city. I love it when she drops off a few of these at my door and we have zucchini everything for a week. YUMMY! love zucchini bread I’m going to try your recipe! Thanks!!!! BTW….I’m going to ask her for the zucchini flowers next. 😉
looks delicious – i’m going to try this recipe! that might be the biggest zuchinni i’ve ever seen!