Your zucchini overload problem?
Consider it solved!

The zucchini harvest is still in full swing, and we've got some mouthwatering ideas to make the most of this abundance!

Assembled by Nell Frazer Lindquist, our Seed Matriarch!

Zucchini Confit

Confit is cooked low and slow in lots of olive oil! This super easy recipe is a wonderful spread for some crusty bread. I adapted this from an original recipe in Saveur magazine: https://www.saveur.com/herbed-squash-confit-recipe/

• 2 lb. zucchini, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon mixed dried herbs, such as Herbes de Provence, oregano, marjoram, or thyme 
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1 cup olive oil

1. Heat the oven to 325°. Put the squash in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, season liberally with salt and pepper, add dried herbs and garlic powder and toss to mix. Pour the olive oil over the zucchini and mix well. 
   
   
2. Bake for at least 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. The end result should be a rich, spreadable slurry. 

Savoury Zucchini Cheese Bread

One of my favourite ways to use up excess zucchini! This cheesy bread doesn’t last long around our house. I found the original recipe on the Martha Stewart website, where it calls for Parmesan cheese: https://www.marthastewart.com/326581/zucchini-parmesan-loaf.

I altered it a bit and added “savoury” to the name. so people expecting a sweet zucchini bread wouldn’t be surprised!

• ⅓ cup olive oil
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for pan
• ⅓ cup buttermilk (can use regular or nondairy milk)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (about 4 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese (can also use Parmesan or cheese of your choice)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• ½ pound (about 1 medium) zucchini, coarsely grated

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease an 8-1/2 x 4-1/2 loaf pan; dust with cornmeal, and tap out excess. 
   
   
2. In a small bowl, whisk oil, milk, and eggs. In a large bowl, whisk flour, grated cheese, baking powder, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper; mix in zucchini, then egg mixture until just moistened (batter will be very thick, like biscuit dough). 
   
   
3. Transfer batter to prepared pan; press in gently. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with foil if loaf starts to brown too quickly). Cool 15 minutes in pan; turn the loaf onto a rack to cool completely. 

Sourdough Discard Zucchini Bread 

I love this bread! It’s delicious and helps use up two things I often have excess of: zucchini and sourdough discard. I found this recipe on one of my favourite websites, King Arthur Baking, but, as usual, I added a few tweaks of my own! https://www.kingarthurbaking.com/recipes/sourdough-zucchini-bread-recipe

• 3/4 cup (170g) sourdough starter, fed (ripe) or unfed (discard)
• 1/2 cup (99g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (85g) honey
• 6 tablespoons (75g) vegetable oil
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
• 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon Fiore di Sicilia extract
  (optional, can just add more vanilla extract)
• 1 cup (113g) whole wheat flour 
• 3/4 cup (90g) unbleached all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (242g to 300g) grated zucchini, somewhere between firmly and lightly packed
• 3/4 cup (85g) chopped walnuts, lightly toasted
• 3/4 cup (192g) dried cranberries, diced dried apricots, diced crystallized ginger combined
  (or use dried fruit of your choice)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9” x 5” quick bread pan
   
   
2. In a large bowl, stir together the starter, sugar, honey, oil, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon, ground ginger, orange zest, and the extracts until thoroughly combined.
   
   
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; stir into the wet ingredients.
   
   
4. Stir in the grated zucchini, then the nuts and fruit. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, smoothing the top.
   
   
5. Bake the bread in the 9” x 5” pan for 45 minutes. Tent with foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes, until a thin paring knife inserted in the center comes out clean. 
   
   
6. Remove the bread from the oven and cool in the pan on a rack.
   
   
7. Store bread, well wrapped, at room temperature for up to three days; freeze for longer storage.