I was looking at the seed companies catalogs and saw a Striata d'Italia zucchini late last winter. It claimed that it had fewer leaves than others so the zucchini could be found easier. I decided to order it and planted 2 hills of it but we also planted 1 hill of out regular zucchini plus we planted 2 hills of 8 ball zucchini. Now they are all starting to produce! I found out that, at least for us, the Striatas produce just as many leaves as any others. Last night I stuffed 2 small 8 ball zucchini with meatloaf (I par-boil the zucchini then stuff and bake) It was so good and just the right size for us. I can tell that we are going to be eating, and giving away, a lot of zucchini this summer!
Hee, hee, hee......I have to chuckle because it is an old story--too many courgettes. I always plant just a little too many and then get swamped with courgettes. We give our excess to the Food Bank, neighbours, friends, strangers and anyone that will take a couple really. There are books with lots of recipe's in them. I am wishing you good luck with your extra's.
When we first moved into this house 28 years ago the couple two houses down had a good sized garden and that summer they had a bumper crop of zucchini. Every few days one of their boys would wander up and down the street with a bag, them ringing doorbells and begging the neighbors to take as many as they wanted. We ate a lot of zucchini muffins and bread that year.
I sure you can find a ton of recipes for zucchini online. Wish I lived closer, I'd take some. I make a great casserole with zucchini and crook neck squash.
I don't have an abundance of zucchini or squash but I would be interested in that casserole recipe. http://www.gardenstew.com/forums/recipes-and-cooking.16/
I have found one recipe that we really like and it can be frozen! One recipe of your regular meatloaf using 1 1/2 pound of burger should make two loaf pans full. Slice a couple of small zucchini lengthwise (that way they lay flatter). Put an inch of meatloaf in the bottom of your pan then layer raw zucchini slices on top of that. At least 1 1/2 inches and top with a few dabs of butter and salt (to your taste) then top with the remaining meatloaf. We eat one and freeze the other and the zucchini does get watery either.
I over plant intentionally because there are so many ways to use it. Grate and measure it into 2 cups bags and freeze for zucchini bread in winter,,zucchini and tomatoes simmered on the stove top and served with cornbread,,I make my relish with it and whatever else in in the garden. Stuff it with a thick version of spaghetti sauce plus the pulp from the inside, top with mozzarella and bake. I cut it into a large dice, with yellow squash and onion for stir fry ( I freeze a lot of that). The list goes on and on.
I grate and freeze 2 cups also. I use that for zucchini bread, cheesy biscuits, choc. cake and spice cake. I plan on trying your stuffed zucchini. That sounds really good.
No particular recipe to the stuffed zucchini,, but I do pre cook mine a bit,,then scrape out the inside with spoon, brown ground beef with onion and garlic and the inside of zuchinni,, add one or two cups of your favorite spaghetti sauce and a little fresh basil, stir together and stuff into shells in casserole dish,, a little extra sauce on top then top with mozzarella and bake about 25 to 30 min. Serve with garlic bread and salad. I like it but then I like anything that grows,, almost anyway you cook it.
Thanks for the recipes & recipe ideas! I have one lone zuke that is just now beginning to produce. It was grown from seed & started very late. I do have a bummer crop of carnival squash. It is a kind of winter squash in the delecata vein. Anyone have ideas for how to use it? There is more than we can eat. I am hoping to freeze some of it. Ideas are welcome.
Most all winter squash can just be peeled, dice, and freeze.. Use the same as butternut squash. There is a recipe I have been wanting to try with butternut squash. Its a soup that uses chicken stock and peanut butter. Can`t remember what the name is, but I think its a Thai recipe.
I've stuffed several 8-ball zucchini with meatloaf and 15 bags of grated zucchini and they are in the freezer. I'll do more grated ones as I use them a lot. LOVE zucchini fry bread! So far we've put 30 bags of carrots, 32 bags of sugar snap peas, 25 of chard, beans are really coming on now so I'll be busy with them today. We also pulled 119 onions to store in the basement. Winter food is looking good.
