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Valley Bounty: July 12, 2014: Zucchini

Zucchini is plentiful right now, and can be as versatile as your imagination! Great grilled in long strips, used on kebabs, or stuffed, this summer staple is ready for your next culinary creation. Zucchini is a great substitute for noodles in lasagna or can be shredded for zucchini bread. It can also be cubed and blanched for freezing! Find recipes, preservation tips and more below.

By Abby Getman of Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture

Recipes:

Meggin Thwing Eastman of Happy Valley Locavore has almost 40 recipes for zucchini on her site alone- from the sweet to savory. I plan on trying this Spicy Beef and Zucchini Tortilla Pie this weekend, after I stop at the farmers’ market to grab the zucchini and Mi Tierra Tortillas. (If you haven’t heard their news, they are opening a new restaurant on Rt 9! Visit their Facebook page to learn more about their return to Hadley.)

Check out The Kitchen Garden’s go to recipes for zucchini here.

Preservation Tips:

In addition to cubing & blanching zucchini for freezer storage, I also will dehydrate zucchini for chips! Slice thin rounds or strips, salt and season as desired and put them in the dehydrator at 125 degrees for a few days. Dehydrated zucchini, if done thoroughly can store in an airtight container for winter use, but be careful not to burn it in the dehydration process! Zucchini has a lot of liquid and usually takes 2-3 days depending on conditions. More information can be found on the Simply Canning website.

Brookfield Farm has an incredible zucchini ginger jam to try!