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A Summer Favorite

August 6th, 2015

It is the season for zucchini noodles once again and that makes me very, very happy! I got this julienne peeler last year and starting making them quickly and easily.
zucchini noodles
zucchini noodles 2
Now we eat them all summer long and love them. You’ll find us topping them with meatballs and marinara, stuffing them into spring rolls, and tossing them with vinaigrette.
zucchini noodles 1
I wrote a blog post on how I make these lovelies last year, you can find it here. I always salt them generously to draw out some of the water, that way they have the a texture closer to noodles and aren’t as soggy. I also don’t slice up the inside of the squash, it usually gets way too mushy and the chickens make use of it.
zucchini noodles 3
Thankfully, my zucchini plants are producing like crazy and I have a second planting sizing up to last long into the fall.

Do you do anything creative to use up the zucchini from your garden?

10 Comments to “A Summer Favorite”
  1. Sofie Dittmann on August 6, 2015 at 7:23 am

    I make them also, but with my mandolin. That said, i can’t get them long enough that way b/c you have to use the carriage unless you want finger noodles as well. What do you do you make them not soggy?

    Reply to Sofie Dittmann's comment

    • Susy on August 6, 2015 at 10:23 am

      Sprinkle the noodles with salt and let them sit in a colander to drain off the moisture. It makes them lose the water so they don’t have the sogginess. I also don’t use the inside of the zucchini, the part with the seeds gets mushier than the ring around the outside.

      Reply to Susy's comment

  2. lv on August 6, 2015 at 11:43 am

    I have been growing zucchini for a number of years now, and have to say that it never has been a successful gardening experience. My plants get a few baby-sized zucchini with flowers on them and then they die off. What is your approach? Do you use open pollinated or hybrids?

    Reply to lv's comment

  3. Emily on August 6, 2015 at 12:10 pm

    I haven’t tried zucchini noodles yet, but would like to sometime. My favorite way to use up zucchini is by making my grandma’s fried zucchini. It isn’t like the fried zucchini I’ve seen in restaurants or in online recipes. You slice it thin. Dip it in flour. Then in egg. Fry it in olive oil and then sprinkle it with salt and Parmesan. I also like to shred and freeze zucchini for bread. I tried making zucchini brownies and they were okay, but not great. And ratatouille is a favorite dish as well.

    Reply to Emily's comment

  4. Rachel on August 6, 2015 at 12:14 pm

    This is the first Summer I’ve prepared squash ribbons and we’ve mostly eaten them with pasta. I can’t believe how tasty they are! Usually we saute slices of squash in olive oil and sprinkle with salt, freeze quite a bit for squash soup and make zucchini bread. However, this new way of preparation is a family favorite. Your tool makes the ribbons so pretty; I’ll have to take a look into that.

    Reply to Rachel's comment

  5. Julia at Home on 129 Acres on August 6, 2015 at 1:23 pm

    I thought our zucchini were still at the blossom stage, but a closer look revealed they were (almost past) the harvest stage. So I’ve been scrambling to use zucchini. Our usual method is grilling them with a bit of oil and spices. I’ve also done bread (chocolate and not), chocolate sour cream cake, zucchini parmesan and zucchini curry soup. Any tips for freezing? Chop? Grate? How does it hold up?

    Reply to Julia at Home on 129 Acres's comment

  6. Nebraska Dave on August 7, 2015 at 8:38 am

    Susy, no Zucchini this year. The past years the squash has always succumbed to the dreaded vine borer. Concentrating on garden structure again this year has decreased the size of my garden area for this year. I’ve been trying to get my garden area wild animal tight. I’m finding out that’s not a small task but an ongoing challenge for sure. I am determined to have that sweet corn harvest next year. It was totally devastated again this year by the raccoons. I’m bring out the big guns next year. The six foot tall wooden fence will be finished this year. Next year the corn patch will be protect inside the wooden fence with a four foot chicken wire fence and a portable electric fence around that. After four years of no sweet corn, I’m upping the ante.

    Have a great Zucchini year.

    Reply to Nebraska Dave's comment

    • Susy on August 7, 2015 at 8:52 am

      The vine borers are such a nuisance, sorry for your lack of zucchini. No doubt you’ll be able to get some from a neighbor or find them on a free table by the side of the road :)

      Reply to Susy's comment

  7. Chris on August 7, 2015 at 12:46 pm

    We like to slice them up and layer with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, onions and or jalapeños season with fresh oregano, s&p, drizzles with olive oil and bake till golden bubbly brown. Yum!
    I’ll have to try the noodles mixed with pasta! Sounds good!

    Reply to Chris's comment

  8. Rue on August 9, 2015 at 8:37 am

    I love this recipe from Melissa McClellan: http://food.visitphilly.com/zucchini-spread/. I freeze it with a layer of olive oil on top. Delicious on crackers, sometimes with a bit of Parmesan, or on pizza or pasta.

    Reply to Rue's comment

About

This is a daily journal of my efforts to cultivate a more simple life, through local eating, gardening and so many other things. We used to live in a small suburban neighborhood Ohio but moved to 153 acres in Liberty, Maine in 2012.

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