Come August, anyone with a vegetable garden is quietly drowning in zucchini, and August 8 is the day the whole country acknowledges it. National Zucchini Day is equal parts celebration and coping strategy for the most relentlessly productive plant in the summer garden.
Grill it in planks
Zucchini is made for the grill. Slice it lengthwise into long planks about a half inch thick so they will not fall through the grates, brush them with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Grill a few minutes per side until you get real char marks and the flesh softens but still holds some bite. A little lemon, fresh herbs, or a crumble of feta over the top turns grilled zucchini into a side you will make all summer long.
Turn a glut into noodles
When you have more zucchini than you know what to do with, a spiralizer suddenly earns its keep. Zucchini noodles, or zoodles, make a light, quick base for pasta sauces and stir-fries. The key is not to overcook them, since a couple of minutes in a hot pan is plenty, or you can eat them raw tossed with a bright dressing. Salting the noodles first and pressing out the excess water keeps them from turning your whole dish watery.
Bake the bread
Zucchini bread is the classic answer to the summer surplus, and for good reason. Grated zucchini melts into a quick bread batter, keeping the crumb moist while adding almost no flavor, which is precisely why it works even for zucchini skeptics. Squeeze the grated zucchini in a towel to remove the excess moisture before folding it in. One large zucchini makes a loaf, and it freezes beautifully for later.
The only real danger of a zucchini plant is turning your back on it. Pick them small and often, before they become baseball bats.
Manage the moisture
The one thing to truly understand about zucchini is that it is mostly water, which is both a gift and a curse. For fritters, latkes, and any crisp preparation, grate it and salt it, let it sit for fifteen minutes, then wring out the liquid in a clean towel. That single step is the difference between golden, crisp fritters and soggy, pale ones. And if your neighbors garden too, August 8 is traditionally the day to quietly leave a spare zucchini on their porch.
How to celebrate
- 1Grill it in planks
Slice zucchini lengthwise into half-inch planks so they will not fall through the grates, brush with oil, and season well. Grill a few minutes per side until you get char marks and the flesh softens. Finish with lemon, fresh herbs, or crumbled feta.
- 2Spiralize it into noodles
Turn a glut of zucchini into zoodles with a spiralizer for a light pasta or stir-fry base. Cook them only a couple of minutes, or eat them raw with a bright dressing. Salt and press out the water first so your dish is not watery.
- 3Bake zucchini bread
Grated zucchini keeps a quick bread wonderfully moist while adding almost no flavor of its own, which is exactly why even skeptics love it. Squeeze the grated zucchini dry in a towel before folding it in. One large zucchini makes a loaf, and it freezes well.
- 4Wring it out for fritters
For crisp fritters or latkes, grate the zucchini, salt it, let it sit fifteen minutes, then wring it hard in a clean towel. Removing that water is the single step between golden and soggy. Bind with egg and a little flour and pan-fry until brown.
- 5Honor the porch tradition
August 8 is also, by long-running gardener joke, the day to leave a spare zucchini on a neighbor's porch. If your garden is overrun, share the wealth anonymously. It is a harmless bit of late-summer fun.