Zucchini: An embarrassment of riches

Stop me if you have heard this one.

A neighbor walks into his backyard. Innocently, he plants a generous row of zucchini seeds in his garden. Almost overnight, he has pretty green plants. Then, one morning, to his delight and amazement, there is a tiny zucchini on one of his plants. Woo-hoo! Our not-so-green thumbed friend thinks it is a miracle–a validation of his innate gardening skills. Then, seemingly overnight, the scene turns nightmarish. That first glorious zucchini turns into dozens of fruits. Those dozens turn into dozens more and our neighbor is overwhelmed. He can’t keep up.

Do you, like our zucchini-growing neighbor, find yourself in a summer zucchini crisis ?

What to do?

You can only eat so much sautéed zucchini and onions–not the most flavorful dish in the world anyway IMHO. That’s not a solution.

You can give it to your neighbors but remember that your neighbors can only feign appreciation for so many zucchini gifts. Don’t drop your excess zucchini on their doorsteps. Trust me on this. No. Really. Trust me.

You can’t rely upon the garden mouse. She eats all the good stuff in your garden but she won’t touch the zucchini. There is probably a lesson in that.

Whatever you do, don’t try to hide the zucchini in fancy dishes. Your guests will know what you’re doing and will, in the end, resent it.

Composting. There’s always composting.

My recommendation is that you try that “when life gives you lemons” approach. If nature has given you an overabundance of zucchini, why not make this zucchini bread? It is delicious– great slathered with a bit of cream cheese for breakfast, great topped with a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, just great…

And…if you gift your neighbors with a loaf, it doesn’t technically count as giving them zucchini.

[mpprecipe-recipe:141]

This recipe was adapted from an Alison Roman recipe that appeared in the New York Times. Here is the link: Alsion Roman Zucchini Bread New York Times.