I met my husband in the middle of a summer where I had a very prolific zucchini plant in my garden. I was wooing him with home cooked meals and baked treats, many of which contained zucchini. We haven’t had a garden for the past few summers for a variety of reasons (California’s drought, we were in the middle of a move/remodel, had a baby, etc), and I really, really miss the satisfaction that comes with feeding your loved ones with food you have grown.

Our awesome next door neighbors gave us some ginormous zucchini from their garden this weekend. There is only one thing to do when faced with several pounds of zucchini: zucchini bread bake off! I had two very different recipes in my recipe box and I decided to try them side by side to see which one would remain and which would be removed. The winning recipe, represented by the loaves on the left, uses brown sugar (check out that gorgeous crust), oil (instead of shortening), a more complex spice profile and had a much nicer texture overall. Now that we have that sorted out, I know what to do with the rest of the pile of zucchs.

Do you have an enormous pile of zucchini? Or maybe one that looks like a yeti’s weapon?  If so, here are my two favorite (and man-wooing) zucchini recipes!

Zucchini Bread

3c Flour
1t baking soda
1/2t baking powder
1/2t salt
2t cinnamon
1t nutmeg
1/4t cloves
3 eggs
1c oil
2c brown sugar
2t vanilla
2c shredded zucchini
1 c chopped nuts (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 325.
2. Grease 2 8×4 loaf pans
3. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl
4. Combine wet ingredients in another bowl and dump into dry ingredients.
5. Mix by hand until just blended.
6. Fold in nuts.
7. Bake in greased pans for 50-60 min. cool in pan a few minutes and then turn out to cooling racks.

BONUS FEATURE: bake in cupcake papers and top with cream cheese frosting for some summer bounty cupcakes. Just like carrot cake, but better!

And I can’t resist adding that Little Man was really enjoying “helping” me in the kitchen that day:

Zucchini Pancakes

1 large zucchini, shredded
1 egg
¼ cup diced onion
Minced chives (to taste)
Minced basil (to taste)
Grated parmesan cheese (I’m guessing approx ¼ cup—I just shook some in there)
Salt and pepper to taste
¾ cup breadcrumbs
Olive oil for sautéing
Crème fraiche (or sour cream or plain greek yogurt)
More minced herbs for topping

1. Salt the zucchini and let drain in colander. Squeeze out excess moisture.
2. Beat egg and add zucchini, onion and herbs and stir together.
3. Stir in breadcrumbs and Parmesan.
4. Shape into thin patties and sauté over high heat until crispy and cooked through.
5. Serve with a dollop of crème fraiche and fresh herbs.