Got an abundance of zucchini? Chef shares tips for using it all up
Aug. 8 is known to some as National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbour's Porch Day
Last week, Andrea Potter found a massive zucchini on her doorstep.
"It's longer than my forearm," she told CBC's The Early Edition host Stephen Quinn.
It's somewhat of a ritual among zucchini growers to leave a large squash on their neighbour's doorstep to share their harvest when it's all a bit too much — and as many zucchini growers know, there's often too much.
Today, Aug. 8, is known to some as National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbour's Porch Day, so don't be too surprised if an unexpected vegetable shows up on your doorstep, like it did on Potter's.
Rose Gardner, an aptly named gardener in Vancouver, said she has a love/hate relationship with zucchini.
"Almost every year I've had an abundance of zucchini crops. You can never just have the right amount. You always have too much, it seems like," she said. "Then you have to figure out what to do with them."
She's started growing yellow zucchinis in her plot at the Strathcona Community Garden, because she said they're easier to give away to friends and fellow gardeners when everyone else is handing out green ones.
Gardner has never left any produce out on someone's porch, mostly out of concern for local wildlife.
"We have raccoons visit our yard sometimes, and other birds and squirrels. I don't necessarily want to be leaving [food] out for them."
But what does one do with all the zucchini Gardner and others are growing?
A chef and holistic nutritionist on B.C.'s Sunshine Coast, Potter knows just what to do with extra zucchini, whether it comes from one's own garden or from a kind neighbour.
Notably, Potter said that Zucchinis are ready to harvest when they grow to about 15 to 20 centimetres.
But it doesn't take much for them to grow out of control, and it's easy for them to go unseen as they hide behind their large leaves.
"You might find some that overgrow and get quite big and a little woody."
For overgrown zucchinis, Potter suggests peeling the skin and scooping out the seeds on the inside, just like you would a pumpkin.
Then, she said, grate and freeze that zucchini for future use in baking and soups.
But if you get a fresh and ready to cook zucchini of appropriate size, you can grill them on the barbecue or peel them julienne-style, add some light dressing and cherry tomatoes, for an easy salad on a hot summer's day.
"I'm not pretending that they are noodles. I know there was a bit of a zucchini noodle fad. I'm just loving them for the vegetable that they are and making a salad out of them," she said.
Potter said zucchinis are about 94 per cent water, and while it makes them healthy and hydrating, their water content might be too much for some recipes.
"Some people like to get the water out by grating it and then squeezing the water out," she said. "You could make a vegetable pancake, for example, kind of like a latke style pancake that way, or pakora style vegetable pancake."
Alternatively, she said, "cook the heck out of it" to reduce the water and get a concentrated pulp to use in a vegan pasta sauce.
"Some people put a can of butter beans and say some garlic and really cook down zucchini and whip it all up."
You can also make relish and pickles from zucchini, Potter said.
Gardner's favourite food to make with all the zucchini in her garden? It's a tie between a simple barbecued zucchini and a chocolate zucchini cake.
"As long as you've got the time, it can be a really cost-effective way to feed yourself and your family, which I've really enjoyed."
With files from The Early Edition and Courtney Dickson