Summer squash is so prolific that Aug. 8 has been named National Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Day. And while I still recommend sharing your bounty, there are a variety of creative ways to cook and preserve this summer staple all year long.
From mock crab cakes to apple pie, the mild flavor of summer squash lends itself to adaptation to a variety of dishes. The spongy flesh quickly accepts sweet or savory flavors. Summer squash can be transformed into mock pineapple, apples, breaded fries, relish, pickles, pancakes, bread, custard pie and casserole, biscuits, hushpuppies quiche and zoodles.
My father refused to eat zucchini, but when he took a bite of an “apple” crisp I made with zucchini, he couldn’t tell the difference. With both pineapple and apple zucchini, the key is lemon juice and sugar to impart the tart and sweet flavors of both fruits.
Make zucchini boats stuffed with meat, vegetables and cheese for a light dinner. Mix up shredded zucchini with eggs, breadcrumbs and seafood seasoning like Old Bay for mock crab cakes. Freeze dried shredded zucchini makes a superb carb-free and healthy binder for meat mixtures, and grinds up into a lovely flour to use in baking. Home bakers report that zucchini flour acts like coconut flour in recipes and can replace one-third of a one-cup measure of all-purpose flour.
Besides all these interesting ways to use summer squash, you can also simply cut squash into shreds, chunks, dices and slices. These can be freeze dried, dehydrated or frozen. If you have a vacuum sealer, try boil-in-a-bag seasoned summer squash. No need to blanch. Simply cut the cleaned squash and place in a vacuum seal pouch. Add a little butter and seasonings, vacuum seal and freeze. For a no-mess vegetable side, boil a pot of water and place the entire bag in the pot. Boil until heated through, and enjoy.
My teens’ absolute favorite way to enjoy summer squash is fried. I coat the squash in a flour mixture, flash freeze and store in silicone bags. Silicone bags have a nice structure and insulation to protect the squash coating from chipping off. I make enough coated squash for the year, which is generally 3-gallon bags for a family of four.
This summer, when squash is overtaking your garden, don’t squash the idea of sharing, but also consider using kitchen magic to transform this garden champ into winning pantry offerings for all year long.
Fried Summer Squash
4 cups of sliced summer squash
1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp garlic
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 cup buttermilk
Sift flour, cornstarch and seasonings together. Wash, dry and slice squash. Dip squash in buttermilk then in flour mixture. To freeze, place prepared squash on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and place in the freezer until solid. Store in freezer or silicone bags. To fry, do not thaw. Place frozen squash in a pot with oil heated to 375 degrees and fry until brown. When squash comes out of the oil, sprinkle it with salt to taste.
Yellow Squash Custard Casserole With Bacon
1 quart of canned yellow squash, or 2 pounds of fresh squash
2 eggs, beaten
4 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 tbsp dried parsley, or 2 TBSP fresh chopped parsley
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup unseasoned bread crumbs (I used panko)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Gruyere or white or yellow sharp cheddar
4 strips of bacon, crisped
If using canned squash, drain and place in an 8×8 casserole and mash up a bit. If using fresh, boil squash and cook for two minutes or until wilted, and drain. Place in a casserole and mash up until chunky. Combine eggs, butter, milk onion, parsley, sugar, salt and pepper. Pour over the squash and mix. Put one layer of cheese, then bread crumbs, and then another layer of cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until brown on top. When done, sprinkle with bacon.
For more recipes, tips and details, visit Laura Macklem’s Preserved Home blog at www.preservedhome.com.
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