Using Up the Zucchini Glut

It's always the same with zucchini plants: they give, and give, and give until we just can't take it anymore. This year I planted two of them, which is one more than any family of less than ten people needs, thinking that I would donate the harvest from one of them to the local foodbank. But the June rains did in one of the plants, so I'm only dealing with a normal garden glut of zucchini. As usual, I'm racking my brain to figure out what to do with all this bounty, other than the usual tales of leaving the vegetables on neighbors' doorsteps in the dead of night, or disposing of them in parking lots via any parked car I can find with an open window.

I realize this topic is probably a wee bit late for many of you. But here in the northeastern section of the US, incredibly heavy spring rains have pushed back a lot of crops by about three weeks. I'm just now getting that familiar overwhelmed sensation with my garden. So here's a roundup of ideas I've found and used to cope with zucchini overload.

101cookbooks.com has an excellent special zucchini bread which I made a few batches of both this year and last. They freeze well. This really is special - not your granny's zucchini bread. She calls for curry powder or other even more assertive seasonings in her recipe, but I favor a hefty dose of cardamom, a little cinnamon, and the merest whiff of cumin in mine. In fact it's a pretty forgiving recipe. Even if you think you don't like zucchini bread, I'd urge you to give this one a fair shake.

Chocolate zucchini cake is good too. It took me a while to try this one, but I became an instant fan when I did. The zucchini was almost undetectable in this super moist cake, and I was using one of the gargantuan zucchinis that got away from me. Had I used the properly sized little ones I don't think even I would have noticed any trace of the vegetable.

Another blogger posted about partially dehydrating fat zucchini slices and then caramelizing them in a saute pan. Without getting rid of a good portion of the water, it would be pretty hard to caramelize zucchini. I haven't tried this one yet, but check out the post - they look fabulous. I think I'd try layering them with some mozzarella, or grilled eggplant, or both.

Julie posted about zucchini slice, which is a crustless quiche-y, souffle-y sort of preparation. Very easy to make, but I found I needed to use five eggs to one cup of flour. If you don't have any of the self-rising flour called for in her recipe, substitute 1 cup of all purpose flour along with 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt. I also added some kernels cut from a grilled ear of corn. Very tasty, suitable for any meal of the day, and you can use up a good deal of zucchini with this recipe! As Julie suggests, if you're going to bake one of these, you might as well bake two, maximizing the use of the oven during the hot part of the year, while stashing a meal for later on in your freezer.

I once had a recipe for zucchini-lemon muffins. I suspect it was a version of the flexible muffin recipe from the Tightwad Gazette. After cutting down on the sugar from the basic recipe, I added grated and squeezed zucchini, lemon juice and a little zest, plus walnuts. These made a great breakfast muffin that I often sent on the road with my husband when he traveled a lot for work. It saved him a little money, and though it may not have been the healthiest breakfast in the world, he would consistently eat them rather than resorting to even less healthy choices, while also saving him time in the morning. You could make these with whole wheat flour if you're quite health conscious. If you try these, remember that you can use more zucchini than it would seem at first glance, especially if you're vigorous about wringing lots of liquid from the zukes.

You probably don't need tips on how to squeeze more meals out of your zucchini plant, but I'm going there anyway. Cut off some of the male flowers and use them as vegetables in their own right. I hear down in Mexico they make soups out of the flowers. Italians like to batter fry the blossoms. Cleaning and stuffing the flowers is a bit of a chore, but I usually manage it once per season. After making sure there are no lurking critters inside - I once brought a bee inside the house that had slept overnight in a blossom that had closed at sundown - fill the blossom with a mixture of breadcrumbs, cheese, herbs, or even a little grated zucchini. Then dip them in beaten egg, seasoned flour, shake off the excess, and pan fry them. If getting the stuffing into the blossom cavity is too laborious after the first attempt, just batter fry the cleaned blossoms. This makes a lovely appetizer. I also like sliced squash blossoms on pizza. It brightens up the pie.

If all your zucchini management efforts are overwhelmed by the abundance of the plant, and if your neighbors have taken to guarding their doorsteps, you can always, as a last resort, grate and freeze zucchini for later use. So here's a tip. The day after you freeze it, pull it back out of the freezer and let it thaw. Pour off all the water that comes out of the vegetable and freeze it again. All that water was going to come out anyway when you were ready to use it. By getting rid of it now, you free up a lot of freezer space, allowing you to store more of it.

And remember, when it all gets to be just too much, your local food bank or soup kitchen would probably be thrilled to have your excess zucchini.

DIY Chicken Plucker

I know my track record is not great when it comes to delivering promised posts on certain topics. I'm trying to make amends this week. So today it's a post on the homemade chicken plucker that I used to help process my three layers last week.

The idea came from someone named RedneckPete, who posted about this invention, calling it the $6 chicken plucker. You can see a video of this plucker in action here. (Don't click either link if you're squeamish about such things.) I came across this last year, when I first anticipated slaughtering my older laying hens in late fall. I can't remember exactly what the materials cost me when I went shopping for this project, but it was more than $6. I'm sure it was less than $20 however. I bought a PVC endcap, a short length of small diameter all-thread, a package of six rubber bungee cords, and a few bolts and washers. I already had the Makita drill.


The way it works is that the S-hooks are removed from the bungee cords and the cords trimmed to leave about 3" of material attached to each end. Then holes are made evenly around the PVC endcap to take the rubber "fingers" from the bungee cords. The wide ends where the S-hooks attached anchor the rubber inside the endcap. The all-thread passes through a hole drilled at the top of the endcap and offers purchase and a good grip for the electric drill. The business ends of the fingers whirl around and strip the feathers from a scalded carcass before evisceration.


I found that this worked reasonably well during my first processing experience. I still had to pluck some feathers by hand. If I'd had another pair of hands to help, it might have been better. As it was, I had to duct tape the drill to a sawhorse and depress the trigger with one hand while I manipulated the chicken carcass with the other. The largest feathers on the wings easily resisted the homemade chicken plucker, as did the finest pin feathers. Most of the others came right out.

For the very small amount of slaughtering I'm likely to do from year to year, this simple plucker will suffice. If I had ambitions for raising my own broilers in larger numbers, I might consider the Whizbang plucker, which is far more complicated and expensive to build, but can handle three chickens at a time. Harvey Ussery wrote about building one of these, and he seemed quite pleased with the performance. The drill chicken plucker is obviously a quick and dirty contraption compared to the Whizbang. But since the low end estimates for building a Whizbang come in at $600 or so, I'll stick with the <$20 model for now.

Done In

I have some grim news to report. I slaughtered my laying hens this past week. It wasn't the best day of my life, and it sure wasn't the best day of the hens' lives either. I had no qualms about carrying out the deed when it came to the moment of truth. In fact, I felt worse about depriving the girls of food the day before I slaughtered them than I did about killing them. And I felt doubly evil for tempting them out of their coop with food when they became overly cautious.

I wish the entire process had gone more smoothly, but I really did the best I could without having any prior experience, and no one on hand to guide me. I did almost everything entirely by myself. I appreciated Howling Duck Ranch's recent photo documentary on slaughtering a rooster. (Caution: that link is pretty graphic.) The pictures were sufficiently detailed so that I had some idea what to expect, and I had read other accounts of chicken "processing" before. Because I was working by myself, I didn't get any photos. I just wanted the less than cheery chore over and done with as quickly as possible. I will however post soonish about the homemade chicken plucker that my husband helped me finish up just a day or two before the girls met their demise.

The girls each dressed out at less than 2.5 pounds. Surprising how small a laying hen is. I tried making coq au vin with one of them, but the results were less than inspiring. I made broth from the other two and canned it. It was excellent broth.

As you might expect, I had my reasons for slaughtering my first batch of layers. They hadn't been laying all that well recently. There were days when I got no eggs at all, and too many others with just one egg between the three hens. A consistent two eggs per day would be one thing, but less than that is what I would call retirement living for the hens, and that's something I promised myself I would not do. The lack of eggs can't even be blamed on hot summer weather, since up to the point they were slaughtered we'd been having an eerily cool July. The clincher though was an offer of free two-year-old White Marans layers. These girls are the same age my first layers were when I got them. Some Marans lines have feathered legs, as do three of our new girls. But they are not heavily feathered, so it's not very noticeable.

White Marans hens, which actually have some very light buff coloration.

The neat thing about all the Marans varieties is that they lay very dark colored eggs. White Marans, as you might expect, lay lighter colored eggs than their darker kindred. But have a look at these, our first few Marans eggs compared to the last of our Red Star eggs.

Leftmost is a very pale egg from a Red Star hen showing the bleaching associated with age and summer weather. The two darker eggs are from Marans hens, probably also showing lighter than normal due to stress of relocation.

The farmer who passed these layers on to me said that the White Marans will lay a 6 or a 7 on this egg color chart in the springtime, but any sort of stress lightens the color. Given that they'd just been moved, and that it got rather hot the first few days they were here, these eggs should be at the lighter end of the range that the new girls will lay. Springtime coloration will be something to see.

So we're now up to five layers. They are not nearly as well socialized as our Red Stars were. They were pretty freaked out by the move, and they are extremely timid about me being near their pen and coop. Apparently they weren't given treats at their previous home nearly as often as we're accustomed to doing, if ever. The first time I gave them some bread, they had no idea what it was, didn't go bonkers for it, and had to (very cautiously) decide what they thought of it. So far they've shown very little interest in the fresh greens I've offered them, though they are picking at the grass. The first few eggs they laid, developed while they were on whatever diet their previous owner gave them, had extremely pale yolks compared to what we normally get. Frankly, they looked like store-bought eggs. I'm hoping they begin to appreciate the bolted lettuce, dandelion leaves, and purslane I offer them, because it's the plants that make the flavor, color, and nutrition of the eggs. Well, that and the bugs. Some of them have figured out my offers of Japanese beetles, but they really don't seem to associate people with anything positive just yet. I'm working on that.

We expect that our five new girls will keep us in plenty of eggs, with a dozen here and there to share or barter, once they're over the trauma of the move and new environs. Unlike the Red Star hens we started with, the new girls are not beak trimmed, which I'm happy about. Aside from it being a cruel and unnecessary practice, the new girls will be more accomplished at pecking and foraging for treats in the dirt.

Second Annual Grass-Fed Beef Cookoff

I've no idea how many local-ish readers I have, but I wanted to alert those of you in Pennsylvania to an upcoming event designed to showcase sustainably raised Pennsylvania beef. The Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) is hosting the second annual Grass-Fed Beef Cookoff in Fogelsville on Sunday, August 2nd. I volunteered at the inaugural cookoff last year and will be doing so again this year. Believe me, this is a fun event for sustainable foodie types.

This year at least fourteen Pennsylvania beef producers who raise their animals on pasture will be competing with steaks to be judged on the basis of taste, texture and appearance. Last year's winner, Harvest Home Meats, was from Northampton county, close enough to us that we got our prime rib for Christmas dinner from them, and believe me, that was a decadent piece of beef. Cookoff attendees will enjoy a sample of beef stew and a burger, all made from Pennsylvania 100% grass-fed beef. There will be live music, local beer, and the setting at the Glasbern Inn and Farm is simply gorgeous. If you can make it, keep an eye out for me and please say hello!

More info, and ticket information, here.

Summer Harvest Solution: Borsch

I've had a request for a "tried and true" borsch recipe. This chunky soup which hails from Russia is quite adaptable, so there's little that can be said with absolute authority about borsch. The only thing that always holds true with borsch is that it contains vinegar, and usually cabbage. Americans tend to associate borsch with beets and the vivid color they impart to the soup. But in Russia this is considered an option, not a given. The soup can be served hot or cold, and may contain meat or be vegetarian. I see this versatility as an asset rather than a problem. Best of all, borsch as I like to make it helps to use up many vegetables that are coming in from the garden at more or less the same time.

I don't have a set in stone recipe for my borsch, since I tend to use what we have on hand. But since I was asked for one, I'll give it a shot, in my usual narrative fashion.

Kate's Borsch

cooking oil
2-3 onions, or onion equivalents (leeks will work), depending on size
1 large or 2 medium, very ripe tomatoes
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
a good fistful of carrots, say 5-6 medium or large ones, peeled and medium diced
a small head of cabbage, or part of a large one, cleaned and chopped small enough to fit on a soup spoon
3-4 medium beets, preferably already boiled or roasted (wrap in foil, 45 minutes @ 375 F), peeled and diced
1-2 cups leftover cooked beef or chicken, cubed (optional, and substitute as you wish)
4 cups of broth (beef/chicken), or water, with or without bouillon cubes
2 cups of water
1/3 cup of vinegar, preferably distilled white or apple cider vinegar

To garnish when serving: fresh dill (or parsley) and sour cream, both optional

Medium dice the onions and cook them in the oil in a large soup pot, over medium heat. Stir well and cover with the lid of the pot. While they simmer, take the tomatoes and cut them in half from stem to blossom end. Place the cut face of the tomato against the small holes of a cheese grater over a dinner plate and gently grate the fruit. The skin will protect your fingers pretty well from the grating holes, so get every last bit of flesh off the skin, working gently. The pulp will collect in the plate. Uncover the onions and stir them well again. They should be well softened, but without much color. Add the tomato pulp and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook for several minutes, stirring as needed, to let this liquid cook off. Add more oil if the sugars start to stick too much to the bottom of the pan. Compost the tomato skins. Add the bay leaves, and salt and pepper to taste.

You're ready to continue when the tomato pulp has mostly disappeared and the oil itself has taken on the color of the tomato. Look carefully at your dish thus far. This is an important step and contributes a lot of flavor to the soup, so don't skip it or change it. Really, this is the only authentic borsch trick in my arsenal.

Add the carrots and stir them around. After a few minutes, when they have warmed up, add a cup of the liquid and deglaze the pan of any sugary brown bits that have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining liquid and bring it to a good simmer. (I like to use a quart of meat broth and 2 cups of water to dilute it a bit. But vegetable broth or all water works too.) When it reaches a steady roll, reduce the heat and let it cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped cabbage and let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Now add the chopped and cooked beets and any leftover meat you want to include in the soup. Continue simmering for about 5 minutes. The beets will color the soup vivid deep pink.

Add the vinegar, stir well, and taste the soup. If the soup is too chunky for your preference, dilute it with more liquid. Adjust the seasonings of vinegar, salt, and pepper to your preference. Fish out the bay leaves if you can find them. Serve immediately or cool the soup very well to serve it chilled. Garnish with freshly chopped dill and sour cream if desired.


-Feel free to improvise with the ingredients in this soup. Celery isn't used much in Russia, but it's a fine addition to borsch. Ditto for peppers. Extra diced tomatoes can be added if you happen to have a lot of them. Potatoes are usually added in Russia, but I tend to make borsch earlier in the year than they are harvested. I had pretty disappointing results when I tried canning this soup. Fortunately, it freezes beautifully. We usually have several quarts of it on hand in the chest freezer. It's especially nice as a chilled dinner on sweltering summer evenings.

Independence Days Challenge - Japanese Beetle Edition

I am glad that I am not a novice gardener this year. A significant number of my spring crops failed with all the wet we had in June. If I didn't know this for the simple luck of the draw (a bad one), I would be so discouraged that I would probably give up on gardening entirely. Nor would I know that replanting provides even odds for a fall harvest of some crops. As it is, I've been patrolling the garden with something close to anxiety, watching my second round of starts like a hawk. The gorgeous sunflowers are some consolation. Normally at this time I would be struggling to keep up with the kale, and putting as much of it away for the winter months as I could. It feels very odd to have as much time on my hands as I do right now. Not in a good way, either. Though it is allowing me to gather plenty of Japanese beetles by hand, much to the delight of the hens.

Though we treated with milky spore early this year, we are still seeing some damage from these supremely annoying, invasive pests. Nothing native eats them; there are no checks or balances with Japanese beetles. The girls however will happily eat as many as I can bring them. I tried putting a hormonal lure and modified beetle trap right in their pen, but I think the lure is old and ineffective. It was given to me for free by a relative. I find the beetles most often on my potatoes and comfrey, and on my husband's raspberries and grape vines. I've seen a few on other garden plants and there's a shrubby sort of plant in our weed patch that attracts them very strongly. I have to dump the beetles onto a light colored frisbee so that the girls can see the little pests, which otherwise are too well camouflaged on the earth. They love this special feeding time. I'm getting about a dozen beetles each time I gather, which is now at least three times per day. It's worth it since it lets me cut back on the purchased feed for the chickens. And oh, how satisfying to see my girls eat my pests!

Planted: Finished transplanting my last ditch efforts with the Tuscan kale and Savoy cabbage for this year. I'm on pins and needles about these fall crops since my spring brassicas failed entirely due to the June rains. What we'll do without a bumper crop of kale, I just don't want to contemplate. Trying again with okra too. Put in a few more snow peas and daikon radish seeds.

Oh! I was also inspired and deeply impressed with Julie's ginger harvest. It's technically too cold to grow ginger here, but I do love it. So I decided to try growing some in a five-gallon bucket, which I'll need to bring indoors for the winter. The experiment began just a few days ago. We'll see how it goes.

Harvested: The remaining 1/3 of my garlic crop, a few excellent cylindra beets, lots of herbs, Slobolt lettuce, the beginnings of the summer squash and squash blossoms, eggs as usual from the girls.

Preserved: Air dried a few zucchini just as an experiment. Also made a simple syrup with anise hyssop for mixed drinks (alcoholic and otherwise).

Waste not: Used a bunch of newspaper for lasagna mulching in a new area of the yard. Feeding the beetles to the girls instead of putting up with crop damage or resorting to pesticides.

Preparation/Storage: Priced some shelves for food storage in the basement, but the price is really more than I want to pay. Still looking.

Community: Not much. I've committed to helping can raspberry jam with an acquaintance, and promised some garden seeds to her too. I hope she follows through and lets me know when she's ready to can.

Eat the food: Used some of last year's roasted tomato sauce and summer squash from the garden for a squash tart. It was a hit. I'm going to try it again this week with the addition of pesto. Also made a chunky salad of beets, grilled zucchini, roasted corn kernels, avocado, garlic scape pesto and mayonnaise. It all turned the lurid color of beets, but it was really tasty and went very well in wraps with Slobolt lettuce from the garden. So four of the ingredients (half) were homegrown.

Read about Sharon's Independence Days Challenge, and you can participate too!