when a vegetable loses its veg

My parents used to always joke about having to lock their car doors in late summer, lest someone fill up the car with unwanted zucchini (the joke, of course, being that the vegetable is so prolific that by late summer it is rendered nearly unpalatable). And all of that excess leads to creativity and efforts to transform the zucchini until it no longer resembles its former vegetal self. This summer my parents' usually abundant harvest met with unfortunate circumstances, and they are actually welcoming gifts of zucchini from the neighbors. But I have had an abundance of zucchini (not from my own efforts, but thanks to my fabulous CSA farmer). And last week, I ended up with a very large zucchini. And what can you do with a very large zucchini (especially when you are tired of eating zucchini) but make zucchini bread? The recipe that follows is an adaptation of my mom's recipe. It will make two loaves or 24 muffins. Now my only problem is that my abundance of zucchini has been transformed into an abundance of zucchini bread!


Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups sugar (preferably superfine)
2 cups grated zucchini
3 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup almond flour
2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1 cup cocoa nibs

Heat oven to 350. Lightly beat eggs. Whisk in oil. Stir in sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients and add to zucchini mixture. If making loaves, grease and flour the pans. Bake for one hour. I suggest muffins for the easy peasy muffin tin liners. I failed to clock the baking time, but how about bake until a toothpick comes out clean?

Hi y'all--Sarah here--just had to add a relevant photo to Lis' post. Here's what happens when you go two days without looking in your vegetable garden in August: your zucchini turn into clubs!