The huge harvest of zucchini and summer squash at the end of the season can be an, “Oh no, not another one!” experience for many gardeners. Especially if you’ve left several on the vine, and you end up with lots of those big boy zucchinis.
I use my old Italian grandmother’s recipe for the over-the-top big ones. It’s an easy and delicious way to make use of those really big boys.
Directions:
• Skin the big boy zucchini, cut it in half length-wise
• With a sturdy spoon, scrape the big seeds out (we usually give these to the chickens)
• Cut the zucchini into bite-size pieces and put them in the biggest crock pot you have
• Add 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Add 3 large onions, chopped
• Add 2 qt canned or frozen tomatoes from last year (I drop in as many tomatoes as I can fit and still close the lid)
• Mix everything together and set the crock pot on low heat to cook overnight, or all day
I usually put my crock pot outdoors because we try not to heat up the house during the summer.
Serve this dish hot, or at room temperature, with sharp grated cheese in place of salt. It’s really good with Romano (sheep, goat, or cow) or Parmesan.
I make pots full of this dish, and can it for later use. Before you start adding salt and spices, try it just like this recipe calls for, with just the cheese. It’s delicious! I hope you enjoy it.
Thanks to Barbara Bruno for participating in the [Grow] Network Writing Contest. We have over $1,500 in prizes lined up for the current writing contest, with more to come. Here is a list of the current pot of prizes:
– A 21.5 quart pressure canner from All American, a $380 value
– A Survival Still emergency water purification still, a $279 value
– 1 year of free membership in the [Grow] Network Core Community, a $240 value
– A copy of The Summer of Survival Complete Collection from Life Changes Be Ready, a $127 value
– 2 copies of the complete Home Grown Food Summit, valued at $67 each
– 3 free 3 month memberships in the [Grow] Network Core Community, valued at $60 each
– The complete 2014 Grow Your Own Food Summit interview series, a $47 value
– 4 copies of the Grow Your Own Groceries DVD video set, valued at $42 each
– A Bug Out Seed Kit from the Sustainable Seed Company, a $40 value
– 4 copies of the Alternatives To Dentists DVD video, valued at $32 each
COMMENTS(5)
This sounds great and I am sure would have been pretty delicious if I had been able to get past the squash bugs decimating my zucchini after the weird, wet spring growing season. I tried to pick them off every day, but they still got away from me. Any helpful hints for growing zucchini and squash and keeping those pests at bay?
Can I do a hot bath canning with this?
Why would you bother to skin the zucchini?
This is a great idea – especially since I have sooooo many zucchini right now! The really big ones I have been washing thoroughly, then slicing length-wise and hollowing out the centers (I give the “guts ” & seeds to the chickens, too) and filling them with a mixture of ground beef, rice, beans, corn and taco seasoning then topping it all off with grated Colby-jack or farmhouse cheddar cheese. Then I freeze each half separately with my food saver seal-a-meal thingy (technical term). BUT you can only make so many stuffed zucchini’s before your family starts to groan. I like your idea a lot – and am definitely going to try it! Thank you for the idea!
How do you can? Time, pressure?