By Audrey Glasebrook
A couple months ago when the weather was starting to warm up and the days were getting longer, you may have planted seeds in the soil with a wish that something green would grow. You’ve watered, you’ve shooed grasshoppers, maybe you’ve even sung to your plants. Those first few tomatoes, cucumbers, and zucchinis were exciting…it worked! But now, a few weeks in, you might be thinking to yourself, “I cannot eat one more zucchini!” But they just keep coming.
Maybe you’re not a gardener at all. Maybe you’ve been the recipient (or victim?) of national Sneak Some Zucchini Into Your Neighbor’s Porch Day.
Well, your library card is the key to this zucchini problem. Here are some great resources to help you learn to love your surplus squash, with creative recipes and celebratory stories:
101 Things To Do with Zucchini by Cyndi Duncan, Georgie Patrick
Grilled, pickled, stuffed, sauced, or hidden in cake-recipes for the ultimate versatile vegetable! Finally, a solution to the age-old question posed every summer as we stare down at our prolific zucchini plants: “What can I make with all of this zucchini?”
The Classic Zucchini Cookbook: 225 Recipes for All Kinds of Squash by Nancy C. Ralston, Marynor Jordan, and Andrea Chesman; illustrations by Laurie Hadlock
With 225 recipes that include Zucchini Cheddar Biscuits, Spaghetti Squash with Chicken, Caramelized Pumpkin Custard, and more, you’ll be inspired to add squash to your breakfasts, lunches, dinners, and desserts. Seasonal suggestions, charming anecdotes, and tasty tips enliven this fun guide to squash-based cooking that is sure to have the whole family asking for more.
Inspiralize Everything: An Apples-to-Zucchini Encyclopedia of Spiralizing by Ali Maffucci
Collects recipes which use the spiralizer countertop tool to turn fruits and vegetables into noodles, rice, and buns for healthy meals, including such options as green goddess zucchini pasta and summer ratatouille.
Summer Squashes (Episode 2 of The Everyday Gourmet: Cooking with Vegetables series on Kanopy)
This Great Course series will show you how to select and cook summer squash in unexpected and satisfying ways, with a lesson featuring light, flavorful vegetarian recipes, including summer squash pasta studded with pecorino, almonds, tomatoes and garlic; grilled zucchini; roast zucchini lasagna with parmesan crisps; and pickled zucchini.
The Vegetable Butcher: How to Select, Prep, Slice, Dice, and Masterfully Cook Vegetables from Artichokes to Zucchini by Cara Mangini
The skills of butchery meet the world of fresh produce in this essential, inspiring guide that demystifies the world of vegetables. In step-by-step photographs, “vegetable butcher” Cara Mangini shows how to break down a butternut squash, cut a cauliflower into steaks, peel a tomato properly, chiffonade kale, turn carrots into coins and parsnips into matchsticks, and find the meaty heart of an artichoke.
Zucchini Houdini by Brenda Stanley
This book will revolutionize your perceptions of zucchini as you bake dozens of tasty and healthy recipes and read the humorous trivia and helpful tips. This modest green friend to gardeners everywhere is packed full of vitamins and fiber and can be used in everything from main dishes to soups to salads even in desserts.
A few squash-themed stories for kids:
Hannah’s Tall Order: An A to Z Sandwich by Linda Vander Heyden, Kayla Harren
Hannah orders a sandwich filled with everything from avocado to zucchini, throwing Mr. McDougal at the cafe into a sandwich-building frenzy.
Never Insult a Killer Zucchini by Elana Azose, Brandon Amancio, David Clark
This is one science fair you’ll never forget! When Mr. Farnsworth, the science-fair judge, declares that he loves zucchinis, the Killer Zucchini is smitten…and hilarious havoc ensues.
Pretend Soup and Other Real Recipes: A Cookbook for Preschoolers & Up by Mollie Katzen and Ann Henderson
A vegetarian cookbook introduces children to the world of cookery with such recipes as “green spaghetti” and “zucchini moons,” and encourages healthy eating by helping them make meals themselves.
Still at a loss for what to do with that extra zucchini?! Try leaving it on your neighbor’s porch!
