COLUMN
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Bumper Crops By: Darcy Nybo
F
or most, a bumper crop is a time to rejoice; however, sometimes that bumper crop can turn into a never ending quest on how to use it all. A few years ago my sister had a bumper crop of zucchini. At first her family was thrilled with the bounty. This was during the first few weeks when every meal consisted of fresh picked zucchini in salads or grilled lengthwise on the barbeque.
As the weeks went by, my sister required more inventive ways of using up her bumper crop. By then her zucchini were so large that she could slice them into one inch rounds, top them with tomato slices and mozzarella, grill them and call them a zucchini pizza. This dish quickly lost its appeal by the end of the fourth week, and still the zucchini grew. Then came the game of hide the zucchini. I had the pleasure of eating at my sister’s house one night as she carefully disguised the zucchini by placing it in her culinary delights. By then the kids were on to her, and as the meal progressed, tiny little mini zucchini cubes appeared on the side of each child’s plate. When I enquired why they were removing the zucchini, the unanimous reply was “We’re sick of zucchini!” Still my sister persisted. She ventured into the bread section of her cookbook and whipped up a few dozen batches of zucchini bread, zucchini muffins and zucchini cookies. One night, under cover of darkness, she crept out of the house and left zucchini on each and every doorstep in her neighbourhood. Sadly my sister moved away. Before she went she brought over her frozen goods and put them in my freezer. We said goodbye and I wished her luck on her move. A few days later I went out to my freezer. There, in little snack size Ziploc bags, was the last of her bumper crop, about 50 bags of shredded and frozen zucchini. Thanks goodness there are still over 1000 ways to use it.
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FALL/WINTER 2010 • Field to PLATE magazine
ZUCCHINI BREAD PUDDING In keeping with the season, here is a delicious recipe for Zucchini Bread Pudding. Ingredients
500 ml (2 cups) zucchini milk 375 ml (1 1/2 cups) bread cubes (gluten free or whole wheat) 50 ml (1/4 cup) honey 1 ml (1/4 tsp) salt 30 ml (2 tbsp) of butter 2 eggs, slightly beaten 5 ml (1 tsp) vanilla 30 ml (2 tbsp) cinnamon 125 ml (1/2 cup) raisins To make zucchini milk: pare zucchini, remove seeds, cut into small cubes and process or blend until liquid is thick and white. Two small zucchini equals approximately 250 ml of “milk”. Freeze and use as milk substitute in bread, meat loaf, biscuits, etc. Once you’ve made the milk, measure out 500 ml and bring to a boil. Pour over bread cubes and add butter. Combine honey, salt and beaten eggs. Add to mixture. Add vanilla, cinnamon and raisins. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Set dish in a shallow pan of hot water and bake at 180°C /350°F degrees for about one hour.