Gad Zukes!!

So earlier this year we planted a small little zucchini plant only to find it explode with life and get really, really big. This little beauty was our first pick and we used it in a stir fry dish. It was yummy!

Then came the monster. I kept watering the plant, but not really checking on how quickly the next ones were ripening. I can water it while standing by the front door and spraying the hose to it, so I never had to get close enough to see it growing. I had a feeling it was getting big as I could see the yellow fleshyness of it peeking through the greenery. Well, I also thought I wanted to keep it on the vine to keep it fresh so that when we did use it it would be right off the vine, right? :O)

Well, as you can see it grew THROUGH the edging trellis. Which I was ok with, as I thought I could just pull the fence up and have a huge zuke.
Come to find out, the fence has a bottom, so the zucchini had to be CUT OUT!! Aaaauuuuggghhhh!



It measured 18 inches...Wish we had a scale to weigh it. I had to figure out what to do with all of that zuke, because really, neither Jason or I LOVE to eat it. I don't mind it in cooked with other tasty things or in zucchini bread, but I don't just sit and munch on it. I found a website that had some good suggestions as well as a link to another site that had some good recipes. The broken off end made 4 cups of cubed zucchini to become part of this casserole. The remaining portion was cut up, shred up and frozen to make this zucchini bread and many more recipes to come!

Warning: This zucchini bread recipe is so moist and sweet it's more like a dessert. Yum!

Second Warning: The leaves of the plant are so prickly I was scratched all over my arms and hands. The stinging was getting worse (like nettles) and we found a natural remedy of rubbing fresh onion all over it. It took away the sting immediately! Vinegar didn't help, but the onion did. I only smelled like onion for the next three days. :O)