Last summer and fall I struggled with my zucchini plants, and if you’ve been a regular reader of the blog, you may remember that my first *perfect* zucchini was followed by months of disappointment in which none of my zucchinis grew to maturity. This year started out much better, with my zucchini plants growing happily in their raised bed home and producing an abundance of vegetables. Finally, I seem to be getting that bumper crop that I have heard so many other food growers talk about! This means that in addition to the piles of fried zucchini squash blossoms I ate last year, this year I’m able to enjoy meals made with the actual zucchini from my garden.

Growing zucchini can be a challenge because of squash vine borers, plants that only produce male OR female stems (you need both), or a lack of pollinators to help your vegetables grow and develop to maturity. Squash vine borers can be eliminated by affixing yellow sticky fly paper traps near your plants to attract them, or the surgical method: slicing your plant stem near the base and manually extracting the grubs. If you see signs of borer damage, you can also inject the stems of your plant with a solution of Bacillus Thuringiensis, or Bt (an organic pesticide), to kill these pests. Lack of adequate pollination is a major reason for fruit rotting or falling off the vine before maturity, so it’s very important that you plant flowers to attract bees to your garden, or hand pollinate your female flowers with pollen from your male flowers (the male flowers sit atop tall skinny stalks, while the female flower stems look like baby zucchinis).

Despite the challenges that are sometimes involved with successfully growing zucchini, it is one of the most popular vegetables to grow. It also grows well in pots. In a raised bed or in the ground, a single healthy zucchini plant can produce 6 to 10 pounds of zucchini, making it a prolific crop for those who have success with it.

Zucchini, also known as summer squash or courgette, is one of my favorite vegetables. It’s fairly mild-tasting, which means that you can easily add a lot of flavor to it without overwhelming the natural taste of the vegetable. Picking it while it is small (under 8 inches), especially if the flower is still attached to it, will ensure that it’s sweet tasting. While some farmers post impressive pictures of their massive zucchinis (they can grow up to 40 inches!), letting the fruit grow very large before picking will produce a vegetable that is much more fibrous.

This recipe is one of my favorite garden harvest recipes, and it’s pretty easy to make. You can make it vegan by eliminating the cheese on top.

Prep time: 15 minutes

Tools and/or vessels needed: frying pan, baking pan, (opt) melon baller

Ingredients

4 green zucchinis (courgettes), halved lengthwise

2 shallots, minced

3 cloves of garlic, crushed and chopped finely

1 tbsp fresh oregano (or 1 tsp dried oregano)

2 tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

1 red pepper, finely diced

2 carrots, finely diced

1 large tomato, finely diced

1 cup parmesan cheese (mozzarella, provolone, or Iberico will also work)

1 tbsp olive oil for frying

Directions

1.      Heat oven to 350 degrees

2.      Use a teaspoon or melon baller to carefully scoop out the insides of the zucchini, leaving about 1/8 inch of flesh (any less and you’ll tear a hole in the zucchini). Chop finely

3.      Place empty zucchini halves in an oiled baking dish. Alternatively, you can line the dish with foil and brush foil with olive oil to make cleanup easier.

4.      Heat ½ tbsp oil in pan, then sauté shallots for 1 minute. Add garlic, paprika, oregano, salt and pepper and sauté for 1 minute more, then add zucchini insides. Cook until zucchini is soft and mashable. Remove from pan, place into a mixing bowl, and mash lightly with a fork or potato masher

5.      Add ½ tbsp oil to pan and fry diced pepper, tomato, and carrots for 5 minutes. Add to zucchini mash and mix well. (Alternatively, you can make 2 separate batches as in the picture: one with zucchini and carrots that have been sauteed together, one with zucchini, carrots, peppers, and tomatos. Just be sure to spice each batch equally, using 2x the amount of spices noted above.)

6.      Scoop cooked vegetable mixture into the 8 zucchini halves, distributing evenly

7.      Top with cheese (optional - for vegan recipe, skip the cheese)

8.      Bake for 20-25 minutes. To create a crust on the cheese, move top oven rack to the highest shelf and broil on LOW for 2-3 minutes.

9.      Remove from oven and enjoy!

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