Delicious Local Zucchini
Zucchini is a versatile and prolific vegetable that can be eaten in many ways. Gardeners usually have way more zucchini than they want!
As zucchini grows so well, you can find local zucchini easily and cheaply throughout the growing season. Zucchini has a mild flavor that pairs well with most flavors and can be added to many meals to add an inexpensive boost of nutrition.
Zucchini and yellow squash can be used interchangeably, but other varieties of summer squash like yellow crookneck and pattypan aren’t quite the same. Look for smaller zucchini and squash for a milder, sweeter flavor.
Local zucchini is great raw, but also can be grilled, stuffed, fried, added to desserts and baked goods, made into frittatas, added to sandwiches, marinated, and turned into noodles. You can mash it, use as pasta, or bake it into chips for low carb treats.
Finding Local Zucchini
Zucchini is a large vining plant. It has large blossoms that can be sauteed and added to salads. Zucchinis grow fast, and can grow longer than three feet!
When buying local zucchini, look for smaller, blemish free vegetables. As zucchini grow, the seeds get larger and the interior flesh becomes spongy. Try for 8 to 10 inches in size.
Fresh zucchini keeps well in the fridge for about a week. Local zucchinis should be available in Maryland from July through September.
Cooking Local Zucchini
Zucchini is a versatile vegetable that pairs well with many dishes. Its mild flavor can be hidden in smoothies or sauces, or additional flavors can be used to complement it.
Some unusual ways to cook zucchini are:
There are tons of recipes online for enjoying local zucchini. Look for carb replacement ideas, like zucchini noodles, or mashed zucchini, or zucchini chips. Add zucchini to any soup or chili.
Freezing local zucchini is the easiest way to preserve it for later. You can freeze in chunks, grated, or pureed, depending on how you plan to use it.
Dehydrating zucchini makes delicious zucchini chips. You can use your dried zucchini later for soups and stews, or in casseroles. Puree it with other fruits and make zucchini fruit leather.
Canning local zucchini is best when pickled, as the delicate flesh of the zucchini doesn’t hold up well in pressure canning. However, zucchini works well as a pickle, as it is more sturdy than a cucumber.
Fermenting zucchini is something to try. Some ferment it grated like a slaw, others in slices or whole small ones.
Zucchini Trivia
A zucchini has more potassium than a banana! A zucchini only has 25 calories, while a potato has 130.
The largest zucchini on record was 8 feet, 3.3 inches long!
Zucchinis go by different names. In France, they are courgettes. In England, they are called vegetable marrows.
