Zucchini for Days: What To Do When You’ve Got a Ton of Zucchini

What can you do when you have too much zucchini? A whole lot, it turns out!
Image: Shutterstock

So. I have a teeny problem. Well, okay… a great big problem. You see, this year, I started my first in-earnest gardening season. I have three raised beds, and I’ve filled them all with what I hope will be delicious homegrown fruits and veggies. I’ve got beets, chard, onion, beans, peas, strawberries, raspberries, artichokes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, peppers, tomatillos, blueberries… and WAY TOO MUCH ZUCCHINI!

You see, when I first moved in to my new place, I saw an adorable little broad-leafed seedling poking up amongst the weeds in the raised beds. One I pulled everything else out, I took (what I thought was) a close look at the little guy. Then, I went to the store and looked for a similar plant to see if I could figure out what it was. The answer, or so I thought: cucumber. I even found an old cucumber plant care tag in the soil.

“Perfect,” I thought. “I love cucumber! You know what else I love? Zucchini. Oh, look, I’ll buy this adorable zucchini plant to go with my cucumbers!” So I did. I planted the zucchini I bought and started caring in earnest for the rogue cucumber plant in the garden. Pretty soon, a second plant popped up. “Yay!” I thought. “More cucumbers! I’ll learn how to make pickles!”

This is where my problems started. You see, I had no idea how quickly both cucumber and zucchini plants go from tiny and adorable to taking up your entire garden. Lacking foresight, I planted lots of other things near the plants. When it became obvious the three large plants were too close to each other, I moved the zucchini over to the other bed. “Phew,” I thought. “Crisis averted!”

Then the blossoms started. They are so bright, enormous, and stunning when they bloom in the morning. But something wasn’t quite right. The cucumber plant was getting way bigger than it should have, and the cucumbers were looking rather large… and zucchini-like. Too zucchini-like.

And now you’ve guessed it – the “cucumber” plants are not cucumbers at all. They are also zucchini plants. And the problem with zucchini, besides how much space they take up? It’s how much zucchini just one plant will produce (especially in fertile soil). I’ve got at least 15 blossoms on each of the plants, and more pop up every day. That’s a heck of a lot of zucchini for three people to eat.

So, now I’ve been on the lookout for ideas on what to do with zucchini. Of course, I plan to freeze some, as well as give a lot of it to neighbors and coworkers—but I’m sure we’ll still have a ton of it all summer long.

Here are some of my favorite ideas for using up excess zucchini – just in case any of you have my same problem or just happen to love zucchini!

• Blueberry Zucchini Muffins:
• http://cookingalamel.com/2012/09/blueberry-zucchini-muffins.html
• Spicy Zucchini Frittata:
• http://www.wholeliving.com/180971/spicy-zucchini-frittata
• Zucchini Summer Skillet:
• http://www.howsweeteats.com/2013/07/zucchini-summer-skillet-with-poached-eggs-garlic-brown-butter-baguettes/
• Zucchini Cornbread:
• http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/zucchini-cornbread
• Zucchini Pizza Bites (this also works with eggplant!):
• http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/07/zucchini-pizza-bites.html
• Ratatouille (I’ve always wanted to try this):
• http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2007/07/rat-a-too-ee-for-you-ee/
• Zucchini Lasagna:
• http://www.chow.com/recipes/30280-noodleless-zucchini-lasagna

Did you know you can also make some pretty rad desserts from zucchini? Check out these magnificent sounding zucchini desserts:

• Pineapple Zucchini Cake:
• http://tastykitchen.com/recipes/desserts/pineapple-zucchini-sheet-cake-with-cream-cheese-frosting/
• Zucchini Brownies:
• http://carpeseason.com/zucchini-brownies/
• Zucchini Bread:
• Regular: http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-zucchini-bread-157748
• Double Chocolate: http://www.thekitchn.com/recipe-double-chocolate-zucchini-bread-recipes-from-the-kitchn-206460

Not seeing something you love? Check out some more options for zucchini at The Kitchn, one of my all-time favorite resources for recipes!

Soil Safety When Urban Gardening

Homegrown strawberries.

One thing I love about living in Seattle is the number of urban gardens I see every day. I love that I can see rooftop gardens on top of high rises in downtown. I adore going to restaurants whose back patio is brimming with homegrown fruits and veggies that will later be served up on a patron’s plate. I can’t resist the temptation to try and grow my own food—strawberries, tomatoes, herbs, onion, and garlic are a few of the forays I’ve taken (not all successful). I’m proud to live in a city that’s the home of a 7-acre food forest, Beacon Food Forest (still in development).

The culture of growing your own food is intoxicating, and once you’re around it, it’s hard to put away the notion of jumping on the DIY gardening bandwagon. And that’s certainly an attitude that I can’t disagree with—I’ve been there. I’m there now. I love it, but I’m still learning a lot—and there are a lot of important things to learn.

Urban gardening increased a whopping 29 percent between 2008 and 2013, with 9 million Americans now saying they grow food in urban areas. The sentiment is fantastic, and one that I stand by absolutely. I think that we’ve allowed ourselves to lose touch with food, where it comes from, and what it takes to grow—and it would be to everyone’s benefit for more people to reconnect.

However, growing food in an urban area has its fair share of hazards, which aren’t always immediately apparent. See, soil has a legacy. One of the reasons it’s great for growing plants is because it absorbs water, which the plant’s roots can slowly absorb. Unfortunately, it also absorbs other things, dangerous things: lead, asbestos, heavy metals, cadmium, arsenic, petrochemicals, and more. Cities take their toll on nature in many ways, and growing produce in contaminated soil means we’re bringing those chemicals right into our bodies.

If you’re planning on doing some urban gardening, it needs to be done the right way. If you’re planting straight into the ground, you’re most at risk (but that doesn’t mean raised beds or pots are safe from hazard). The first thing you should do is get your soil tested to see whether or not it has been contaminated by lead, cadmium, or arsenic. Unfortunately, those tests don’t check for petrochemicals and some other really hazardous chemicals that may have seeped into the soil from car exhaust, cleaning solvents, old Laundromats, or even demolished buildings.

The best solution is to research your plot of land and learn its history—if any buildings were demolished nearby, whether it used to be a parking lot or a gas station or something else, and if there is any other cause for concern. Since you can never be completely sure whether the soil is 100% free of contaminants, wearing gardening gloves and washing all produce thoroughly is always a good idea.

If you’re using raised beds, be sure to think about what they are made out of (or what you’re using to build them). Reclaimed wood can be hazardous since you won’t know its history or whether it was ever treated with chemicals. The point: better safe than sorry.

If you’re interested in learning more about how to safely urban garden, check out this urban soil safety guide from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Do you urban garden? I’d love to hear about your successful and unsuccessful gardening endeavors!

Image from Shutterstock.