Gad-Zukes, It's Zucchini season!

We've been enjoying a nice crop of zucchini this year. I thought we should give you some ideas of ways to use them, so you wouldn't have to drop them (on the sly) in people's cars at church.

First of all, my least favorite way to eat summer squash: Cut them into chunks and boil them till soft, then serve lightly salted.... what a waste! :-)

On the other hand, an equally simple way to enjoy zucchini is breaded and fried. Just dip in flour seasoned with seasoning salt and pepper, then fry in the vegetable oil of your choice.

But to really enjoy the flavor of a zucchini, try these ideas:

Zucchini Fritters (from "Vegetable Fritters" in Simply In Season.)
1/3 cup flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 eggs (beaten)
Mix to form a smooth batter.
Add 3 cups shredded summer squash (zucchini, or may also mix with yellow summer squash). Add 1/3 cup onion (minced) or 2 cloves garlic (minced)
Add 1 Tbsp fresh parsley (chopped) -- optional
Very lightly spray a frypan with oil and heat to medium hot. Drop a large spoonful of batter onto frypan. Fry until golden, turn and cook on second side until done. Serve with butter -- YUM!
Caution: This recipe is never enough for some of "us" :-)


Zucchini Casserole -- always a favorite at our house. (See the June 2009 blog entry on "Zukes" for this recipe.)


and finally.... Let's not forget zucchini bread, and chocolate zucchini cake.... although I personally think these are just poorly-concealed excuses for an out-of-control sweet tooth!

The Chocolate Zucchini Cake recipe is also already posted on the June 2009 blog "Zukes."

Zucchini Bread
In mixing bowl, combine:
3 beaten eggs
1 cup oil
3 cups peeled and grated Zucchini squash
Into this mixture, sift:
3½ cups flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp ground cloves
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ cup chopped nuts
Optional: 1 cup crushed pineapple and ½ cup raisins
Pour into 2 large loaf pans (greased and floured) and bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

No summer is complete without some of these zucchini squash favorites!

Stewed Cabbage with Dried Fruit

For another interesting variation on cabbage, try this recipe from Mennonite Foods and Folkways, contributed by CSA member Zella Penner.

4 Tbsp. shortening
6 cups shredded cabbage
1/2 bay leaf
10 prunes
1/2 cup raisings and/or 1 cup dried apples
1 tsp. salt
Dash pepper
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 Tbsp. vinegar

In a heavy saucepan melt shortening. Add cabbage, bay leaf and fruit. Cover tightly. Simmer over low heat about 1-1½ hours. Stir occasionally. Add extra water if necessary. Cabbage should be golden brown.

Mix salt, pepper, sugar and vinegar and season cabbage and fruit mixture. Serve

Orange Mint Tea

Another favorite summer recipe from Simply In Season.

3-4 cups water
5-6 sprigs fresh mint (each about 6 inches)
Bring water to boil in a saucepan. Add mint, cover, remove from heat and steep 15 minutes or longer. Remove mint.

1/3 cup sugar or to taste
Add and stir until dissolved. The resulting concentrate may be poured over ice to dilute and serve, or may be cooled and frozen for later use.

For orange mint tea:
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
water and ice
Combine juices in a half-gallon serving pitcher. Add mint concentrate plus water and ice to fill the pitcher. Chill completely and serve garnished with mint sprigs and thin slices of oranges or lemons.

Pickled Beets -- Merlin's Favorite

As we're sending you all this good crop of beets, might I suggest a great way to enjoy them through the summer, or all year:

Pickled Beets

Select and prepare small whole beets with 1-inch stem and all the root. Boil at least 15 minutes, until fork-tender. Trim off roots and stems. Slip off skins under running cold water.

Prepare a boiling pickling syrup of equal parts vinegar and sugar. Dilute with 1-2 cups beet juice (from cooking) according to taste. Add 1½ tsp salt. If desired, add 1 cinnamon stick and 6 whole cloves or whole allspice. Cover cooked beets with boiling syrup.

For refrigerator storage, boil beets and pickling syrup for 3-5 minutes. Cool. Beets may be kept, covered and refrigerated, for 4-6 weeks.

For canning, pack beets whole, sliced or diced into hot canning jars, and cover beets with pickling syrup, leaving ½-inch headroom in jars. Process in boiling-water bath for 30 minutes.

Rita's Favorite Poppy Seed Cole Slaw

Here's a favorite way to enjoy the freshness of summertime cabbage....

Chop in blender, or shred and cut finely:
2 large or 3 medium heads cabbage
2 stalks celery (if desired)
3-4 carrots
1 onion
Sprinkle generously with salt and set awide while making dressing. Before adding dressing, squeeze dry.

Poppy Seed Dressing:
With an electric mixer mix:
1 ¼ cups sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
2 Tbsp. grated onion
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. dry mustard
Stir together and gradually add 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
Beat for a long time (at least 10 minutes). This cannot be mixed too long.
Add:
a bit of garlic salt
1 ½ Tbsp. poppy seed, as you stop the mixer.

Pour dressing over cabbage mixture, and mix well.

OR...
For a lighter dressing that lasts for months in refrigerator...
(from More with Less cookbook)
Combine in saucepan:
2 cups sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup vinegar
1/8 tsp pepper
1-2 tsp. celery seed
Bring to a boil. Remove from heat. When cool, add to cabbage. Mix well.

Whole Beet Skillet

Here's another good one from Simply In Season --

Start with:

4-6 medium beets with fresh greens

Cut greens off beets, leaving about 1 inch of greens on beets. Place beets in large saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until beets are tender when pricked with fork, 15-30 minutes depending on size. While beets are cooking, remove stems from beet greens. Chop stems in 1-inch pieces. Chop greens separately. Drain the cooked beets and rinse with cold water. When beets have cooled enough to handle, slip peels off with fingers. Cut beets in slices. In saucepan, saute' stems in 1-2 Tbsp. butter until tender. Add greens and saute' until bright green and just tender. Add sliced beets and heat through.

Add in:

1-2 Tbsp. lemon juice

1-2 tsp. ginger root (peeled and minced)

1-2 tsp. honey (optional)

Serve immediately.

What to do with those beet greens....

This time of year is wonderful for using greens as a flavorful side dish. We often think of using spinach or even kale this way. Many people are also familiar with using beet greens in the same way. The die-hards among us will also cook mustard greens or turnip greens, although they're a bit much for us!

The following recipe is from Lorrie Stierwalt, and will work with your leafy green beet tops....

Lorrie's Greens

Cook greens from several beets in a little water until they have a deep color and are cooked through.
Add a little bit of unsalted butter, garlic powder, pepper, basil and a "smidgen" of vinegar. :-)

We tried it and we liked it!