It’s high time one of the most maligned – and prolific- vegetables in the garden gets rebranded.
The zucchini is the butt of many a gardener’s joke:
“One zucchini plant is half a zucchini plant too many.”
But what if, the zucchini was rebranded as a ‘courgette’?
Yes, the lowly zucchini becomes far less mundane when you say it en francais...Give something a french name, and it becomes sexy. Then, far from being something you roll your eyes at, it would be sought after…. Maybe even clamoured for…
You would be looking for all kinds of recipes to make this exotic delicacy for your next dinner party 
Courgette or zucchini- whatever your preference- here are some great ideas to get you started….
And here’s one of my favourites…
Simple zucchini chips
Zucchini hummus
Check out this bean free hummus recipe. It’s bit spicy so feel free to use less cayenne. Adding a bit of leftover ferment brine can give this a nice tang and make it probiotic!
Ingredients
Method:
Zucchini Fritters
*This recipe was circulated in my food coop email and it has *delish* written all over it!
Ingredients
Traditional oil – like I talk about in this skill building tutorial- such as lard, tallow or coconut oil (for frying)
Method:
Prepare the day before large gatherings, picnics, barbeques, etc.
Wash zucchini but do not peel. Remove 2 end pieces, Cut in half lengthwise and remove seeds/pulp. Cut flesh of zucchini into 1/4X1 inch pieces. Place pieces in very large mixing bowl. Sprinkle with salt to mix in and touch all zucchini. Let sit for more than ½ hour while preparing other vegetables. Drain juice from zucchini. Mix in all other veggies, herbs, cheese and eggs. Add enough flour to form a batter (will be lumpy) Add milk only if it’s impossible to stir. Proper texture is when batter just holds the veggies together so they can be dropped from spoon into hot oil.
Drop 2 heaping Tbsp batter into hot oil (1/2 inch deep) to form each fritter. Fry until top is no longer glossy and veggies and batter look done. Then turn and fry on second side until golden. Place finished fritters on plate, in layers, between paper towels to absorb excess oil.
Refrigerate to store. Serve warm or cold. Great with salsa!
Other ways to use your zucchini:
And don’t forget to preserve your zucchini harvest for the winter months. I find the easiest way is to simply shred and bag it and throw it into the freezer or to chop and blend zucchini, onions, tomatoes and herbs then throw them into a freezer bag- uncooked- for sauces and soups. YUMTASTIC!
What’s your favourite way to eat and preserve zucchini? Share your ideas!
*With contributions from Kris.
Filed under:Blog, Nourished Pantry
Author: Adrienne Percy
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9 comments
We made different flavours of zucchini chips last year, and the “Spicy BBQ” and “Ketchup” ones were a great hit! I just threw things in the food processor until they tasted good, and of course have no recipe, but encourage others to try the same thing. I remember starting with some of our dried veggie stores from the previous year: dehydrated tomatoes, onions and herbs. Just make a dry mix, and then dip the zuke slices in it before laying on dehydrator trays. Or, if you use fresh and juicier ingredients, then just brush it on the slices. Thanks for a great post, Adrienne!
31 August, 2013 09:16 ||
That sounds awesome Summer. Experimentation often leads to some wonderful results doesn’t it?
05 September, 2013 00:32 ||
When I was a kid my mom had a huge garden and we alywas had zucchini coming out our ears! She would make zucchini cakes, cookies, breads and she even put it in stuff like marinara sauces and casseroles… My brother and I hated zucchini (or so we thought). She only told us when we were older that all that mystery green stuff we use to chow down on was zucchini…I now will do the same type of torture to my kids.
The recipe looks great.Thanks!My blog ( I can never get it to link on blogger)www.jillradley.typepad.com
30 August, 2014 18:30 ||
[...] we all need: a Zucchini recipe round-up! Yee Haw! Tons of great ideas and [...]
04 September, 2013 19:04 ||
[…] And how much zucchini is too much? (Answer: It all depends whether you have enough interesting zucchini recipes…) […]
31 December, 2013 21:03 ||
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03 May, 2014 07:43 ||
It’s a plrusaee to find someone who can identify the issues so clearly
30 August, 2014 19:03 ||
Yeah that’s what I’m talking about babny–ice work!
01 September, 2014 08:54 ||
how long can you keep them in the fridge after baikng? ..because it’s just me eating paleo in my household, so i wouldn’t want to make too much. would you say you have 2 for bfast?
03 September, 2014 12:47 ||