Zucchini - Overgrown Ones to Be Exact

“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”

Seriously.  How can you go out to pick zucchini one day and not 8 days later you have 8, foot long zucchini starving the life right out of your plants?  I know, 8 days is the problem here not the zucchini.  But can I just say seriously again???

So what do you do with them?  It happens to every gardener.  They are very good at hiding.  The first thing to remember is they can be used.  You will have to cut them in half and scoop out the seeds first.  The chickens will love these!  Then grate them in a food processor.  Let them drain a good 10 minutes in a drainer, pack them in freezer bags by 2 cups.  Lay them flat and press out all the air and stick them in your freezer.  You can use this to make zucchini bread and I won't bore you with another zucchini bread recipe but I will share a zucchini cornbread recipe.
Sweet Zucchini Cornbread
2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup cornmeal
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 t salt
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
4 tbsp molasses
6 tbsp butter, melted
2 cups shredded zucchini, with extra moisture squeezed out
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly grease a big cast iron skillet.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda, salt and brown sugar.
In a medium bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, egg white, molasses and melted butter until smooth.
Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Stir until just combined, add the zucchini and stir to evenly distribute. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a tester comes out clean and the bread springs back when lightly pressed.
Allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove the bread to a wire rack.
Makes 9 pieces.

Savory Zucchini Cornbread
1 1/2 cups zucchini, coarsely chopped
1 cup milk
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 1/4 cups cornmeal
1 cup whole wheat flour or 1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon dried dill
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Well grease a 10-inch cast-iron skillet, and place it into the oven while it preheats. (can use a 9x9 Pyrex pan but cast iron works better).

2 Place the zucchini, milk, onion, eggs, and melted butter into a blender, and blend until thoroughly mixed and the zucchini and onion have been chopped into very small pieces.

3 Mix together the cornmeal, flour, dill, baking powder, salt, pepper and cheddar cheese in a large bowl. Pour the zucchini mixture into the cornmeal mixture, stirring to combine.

4 Carefully pour the batter into the hot greased skillet, smooth it out with a spoon, and bake until the cornbread is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 30 - 40 minutes.

*Notice the smaller perfect sized zucchini compared to the one that is 2 feet long! 

Seriously!?