The Wonders of Zucchini

I have decided that I hate zucchini! Not because it doesn't taste good and I can't come up with things to do with it, but because it grows too fast and in ABUNDANCE! I pick at least two 5 gallon buckets worth of zucchini each week. I made the mistake of planting too many plants and letting 6 to 8 of them live.

I have come up with a variety of ways to use zucchini. The number one way to use zucchini is as an excuse to go visit people from our old ward to try to share our abundance. Even if I don't get to share our zucchini I at least get to visit some of the friends we made and left behind on the other side of town. I have discovered that zucchini works great when added to the cottage/ricotta cheese layers of lasagna, as a filler in meatloaf in addition to breadcrumbs or rice krispies, in muffins and bread, and even in a cake or brownie recipe made especially for zucchini. I also discovered Italian, sauteed zucchini and a zucchini cornbread casserole recipe that are really yummy. We have steamed it, fried it, shredded and froze it, and made a zucchini crisp that is much like an apple crisp.

Having a garden has opened up avenues to me that I never dreamed I would be venturing down, and I have discovered a whole new level of determination to use the things we are blessed with. I have also learned the richness that comes from having your own garden and enjoying the fruit of your labors. Not only in the money it saves you, but in learning more about yourself, working with your hands, building endurance and perseverance, and realizing that what you are harvesting and eating is something that you took the time to create with the help of the wonderful earth that we live on. I have also strengthened my testimony of personal preparedness, food storage, and self reliance. It is amazing the comfort that comes from being prepared and knowing that a lot of the preparation was your own hard work and not just another trip to the grocery store. There is a great measure of peace that comes from having food storage, no matter how little or how much.

Anyway, zucchini has been abundant this year and next I plan to plant two plants and pull up the weaker one, if I plant zucchini at all. Anyone want some zucchini?