Today's Harvest: XXL Zucchini

While investigating around the zucchini today, to check if it was on the mend from the squash vine borer incident, (side note, I actually found ANOTHER borer larvae in the zucchini plant and pried it out - hopefully the plant will now be on the mend, assuming that was the last larvae)... I found a GIGANTIC zucchini.  Somehow the zucchini had been hidden from site the last few weeks, and grew to State Fair Blue Ribbon - Winning proportions. The beast weighed in at over 3 pounds!

Also harvested today:  Bush Blue Lake 274 Green Beans, Mucho Nacho Jumbo Jalapeno, and Gypsy Sweet Pepper (the first of the year).

Once summer squash get this big, they aren't the tastiest.  They are still fine, but just lose a lot of tenderness and flavor.  It is best to use overgrown squash in recipes that call for other spices and flavors.  So, I made some zucchini bread!

This is my first time making zucchini bread, and I think it turned out pretty good.  Only trouble is, two loaves only used about 1/2 of my gigantic zucchini (3 cups shredded), so I still have plenty of the large squash left.  Looks like I'll need to make another batch!

Harvest Totals (since April)

• 5 lbs Cherry Bell Radishes

• 3 lbs Giant Fordhook Swiss Chard

• 3 lb 5.5 oz Pic-N-Pic Summer Squash (5 squash)

• 5 lbs 6.3 oz Black Beauty Zucchini (3 squash)

• 13.7 oz Mammoth Melting Sugar Peas

• 5.1 oz Mucho Nacho Jumbo Jalapeno (6)

• 1 lb 0.2 oz Bush Blue Lake 274 Green Beans
• 5.3 oz Gypsy Sweet Peppers (2)

Here's the recipe I used:

INGREDIENTS

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 3 cups grated fresh zucchini
• 2/3 cup melted unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• Pinch salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
• 1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

METHOD

1 Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Butter two 5 by 9 inch loaf pans.

2 In a large bowl, mix together the sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Stir in the grated zucchini and then the melted butter.

3 Sprinkle baking soda and salt over the mixture and stir it in. Add the flour, a third at a time, stirring after each incorporation. Sprinkle in the cinnamon and nutmeg over the batter and mix. Fold in the nuts and dried cranberries or raisins if using.

4 Divide the batter equally between the loaf pans. Bake for 55 minutes (check for doneness at 50 minutes) or until a wooden pick inserted in to the center comes out clean. Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.