Help what do I do with all this zucchini ?

[mrscoyote]

I have been given a large amount of zucchini and need help on what to do with it. I saw some pickle recipes but they are all sweet can I make it with the dill pickle recipe? How do I freeze it? I really need your ideas please.
Nancy

 

[baymule]

I made zucchini lasagna and it was very good. Here is the link to it.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=35969

And I made zucchini cobbler.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=35944

I also made 2 quarts of the cobbler filling and canned it for this winter.

Some other recipes.

http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=33664&p=2

To freeze: If you have a food saver, then just slice or chunk, bag them up, seal and freeze. If you don't, then slice or chunk them up, blanch, cool in icy water, drain, bag in zip loc bags and freeze. JFYI, frozen squash turns to mush. It is still ok in soups, stews and cassaroles. I found out last winter that I could fry the sliced squash. Yup! Let it thaw out completely, there will be a lot of water in the bag. Open the bag, drain out the water. Then squeeze the squash, I really wring it out like a washrag! Then separate the sliced, roll in corn meal and fry. They are crispy and yummy!

Zucchini Candy
10 cups peeled diced zucchini 1/2 inch cubes ( I use "worms" about 3 inches long and 1/12 inch thick and wide. The little dice would be good in muffins, though.
3 cups water
2 pkgs. unsweetened Koolaid
2 1/2 cups sugar
Peel zucchini,
diced, removing seeds. Mix the liquid syrup together. Add zucchini. Bring to
a boil and them simmer for 25 min. Drain. Put on dehydrator trays. Dry 14
hours at 125 degrees. Turn pieces over and dry another 4 hours. This will
feel dry and not sticky when done. Store in jars or other tightly sealed
containers.If you dip in sugar when you turn them, they will be more like
"gum drops" on the outside.
You can do the same thing with the zucchini
but use 48 oz. pineapple juice
2 T. pineapple extract
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice

 

[mrscoyote]

Thanks baymule for the great ideas.Time to get busy.

 

[k15n1]

Use what you can and leave the rest of it in un-locked cars in a neighborhood across town. Pull the plants when you've had enough. Then plant something else for the fall.

We like to slice up summer squash and pan fry it. When done, you can freeze it in batches. I've canned it, but I don't recommend that because there's no tested recipe. You can pickle it but I've found that I only need so many pickles. (If you're pickling, try the real thing, you know, with germs.)

 

[Marianne]

You could make a bunch of chocolate zucchini cakes, breads, whatever and freeze them.

I like Italian Summer Squash Polenta Bake - http://allrecipes.com/recipe/italian-summer-squash-polenta-bake/ But we don't care for polenta in this recipe, so I use penne pasta instead. It's pretty easy to adjust to your tastes, too.

No one around here has gotten even ONE squash - there are plenty of bees around, so who knows? Might just be our whacky weather, too.

 

[baymule]

Poor Marianne......ya'll are squashless!

 

[mrscoyote]

Well some has been vac sealed and frozen. I have made a few batches of bread and a relish recipe that sounded good. I still have more to deal with though.

 

[Hinotori]

I like shredded frozen zucchini for making patties to fry. When I thaw out the squash so much water comes out of it, that it makes it much easier to mush together for the patties. I have no idea why people make fake hamburgers. The zucchini patties taste much, much better, have no chemicals, and aren't pretentious.

 

[mrscoyote]

Hinotori, do you have a recipe? this sounds good.

 

[~gd]

I like shredded frozen zucchini for making patties to fry. When I thaw out the squash so much water comes out of it, that it makes it much easier to mush together for the patties. I have no idea why people make fake hamburgers. The zucchini patties taste much, much better, have no chemicals, and aren't pretentious.

Most of the people that use fake hamburgers do so for the protien which zucchini just don't have. I use zucchini for hash browns because they have less carbs than potatoe. I like to add some chopped onion to either because I just love onions.~gd