A good problem to have, but squash fatigue is a real thing! Here are four creative options to get around the yearly squash fatigue.
Every April you are so stoked to get your zucchini plants into the ground and vow to never buy zucchini at the store again! By the time July comes around, you are regretting the fact that you planted 6 squash plants in your garden all yielding enormous amounts at the same time! I must say, I am very grateful that my plants are producing so well, but the squash fatigue is real!
Here are a few ideas to get you on track to making your own delicious squash dinners even if you found a zucchini that’s been hiding for a week under your tomato plant like I did (it was HUGE!).
1) The first suggestion I tend to give my friends and customers are Zucchini boats.
Zucchini Boats
Easy and DELICIOUS!
There are a million ways you can make zucchini boats—be creative! The main idea is to go out to the garden after your weekend camping trip or a few busy days inside and go check your summer squash plant. More than likely, there will be what I call a sneaker zuke—one that’s hiding out and growing exponentially every day. These are perfect for zucchini boats.
Here’s a little photo journey on my last zucchini boat adventure to give you an idea of how to prep yours at home. The basics are
cut in half/scrape out the soft inside
add olive oil inside and out, heat in oven @375 for 20 mins
create a meat/veggie/rice/quinoa whatever you’d like! filling for the inside. I used a ground beef, peas, broccoli, crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, rice, garden herbs.
Fill the soft boat with your filling (should be able to easily stick fork in the zucchini)
Cook another 20 mins or so and then up the heat to broil to make the top crispier (add cheese before this state if you are so inclined!)
See the photo journey here to get some ideas:
2) Zucchini Burgers!
Many burger enthusiasts will scoff at the idea of calling this a burger, but I still do. What you will do is essentially cut the zucchini into burger shaped patties and marinate them in your favorite spices. I like to put them in a ziplock or other container with olive oil, soy sauce, paprika, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, pepper and let them sit for a while. All you have to do after that is throw them on a cast iron or grill and fix up the bun like a regular burger and viola! Adding fresh garden tomatoes, onions and cheese sets this one off!
3). Zucchini Bread
Zucchini Bread
a tasty treat
I’m not much of a baker, but there are some amazing recipes out there for zucchini bread that are oh so tasty :)
Here are a couple for you to try, and to see how simple it is, it’s broken down here in 4 steps:
Grease and flour two 8 x 4 inch pans. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
Sift flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake for 40 to 60 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes. Remove bread from pan, and completely cool.
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/6698/moms-zucchini-bread/
https://www.thewholesomedish.com/the-best-classic-zucchini-bread/
4) Zucchini Frittata
This Zucchini Frittata was made by my wife and it was GOOD! I’m not just saying that because we might be stuck in quarantine for a while longer, but a definite welcomed change of pace.
The recipe she followed was from The Iron You, (we did a few substitutions like bourbon sausage for chorizo):
Simple Zucchini Chorizo Frittata
Serves 6
Ingredients
½ cup sliced chorizo
6 small zucchini (or 3 medium), sliced thin
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
6 large eggs
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
Directions
Heat a large ovenproof pan over medium heat. Add chorizo and sauté for about 4 minutes, until browned. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add zucchini to the same pan (no need to grease it because of all of the fat the chorizo has released) and sauté on medium-high heat for 8 to 10 minutes, until tender and lightly browned. Season with salt and pepper, transfer to a plate, and set aside.
In a large bowl beat eggs, Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Add chorizo and zucchini and mix well.
Return the pan to the burner and coat the pan with 1 tablespoon of oil. Add egg mixture and cook over medium-low heat for about 6 to 8 minutes, or until the eggs are mostly set (lower the heat if the frittata starts to brown too quickly).
Heat the broiler.
Run the whole pan under the broiler until the top is browned and the eggs are set throughout, about 4 to 5 minutes.
Let cool slightly before slicing into wedges or squares.
Nutrition facts
One serving yields 161 calories, 11 grams of fat, 4 grams of carbs, and 12 grams of protein.
https://www.theironyou.com/2017/06/simple-zucchini-chorizo-frittata.html
I hope this helps with the fatigue, please let us know what your favorite recipes are!
Josh Levine, StartOrganic Co-founder