NEWS for North Dakotans
Agriculture Communication, North Dakota State University
7 Morrill Hall, Fargo, ND 58105-5665

August 5, 1999

Prairie Fare: Some Habits Can't Be Squashed

My memory seems to improve in mid-August every year. That's about the time our zucchini plant has gotten bushy enough to produce squash for the neighborhood. That's about the time my annual vow begins ringing in my ears with a vengeance.

"We are NOT planting this stuff next year."

But we always do. I blame it on selective recall. At planting time, the only recollections of zucchini I seem capable of conjuring are of those cute bratwurst-sized dark, shiny green fruit with a delicate flavor and a springy-yet-firm texture reminiscent of certain cheeses. It's not until the dog days set in that I remember those other zucchini, the ones that are dainty fingerlings in the morning but later the same day could choke a channel catfish.

Because I practice the Golden Rule of gardening, I will not foist our inflated zucchini off on neighbors. Nor will I stuff the unlocked vehicles of strangers with bags of this overblown fruit. Instead, I opt to catch and release (into our compost) all those zucchini whose size gets away.

Of course, I don't like wasting food--especially homegrown food--so I'm always looking for new zucchini recipes. Isn't everyone? Well, what follows is an unusual way to eat zucchini. When I first read the recipe, I was skeptical, but I tried it and found it to be quite good. At any rate, it beats a poke in the eye with an overgrown squash.

Zucchini-Onion Quick Bread
From SOARthe Searchable Online Archive of Recipes, University of California, Berkeley (http://soar.Berkeley.EDU/recipes/)

Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini (½ pound), shredded
1¼ cups all-purpose flour
1¼ cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 1/3 cups French fried onions (2.8-ounce can)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves, crumbled
½ teaspoon salt
¾ cup milk
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup light brown sugar, packed
2 large eggs

Procedure:
While shredded zucchini drains in a colander, combine flour, cheese, onions, baking powder, basil and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, whisk together until well blended the milk, butter, brown sugar and eggs. Squeeze out excess moisture from zucchini and add to milk mixture. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and stir until ingredients are moistened. (Batter will be stiff .) Spoon batter into 9 x 5 x 3-inch baking pan that's been sprayed with vegetable oil, and run knife down the center of the batter after smoothing. Bake 50 to 55 minutes at 375 F, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan to wire rack and cool completely. This bread makes interesting toast.

What's Your Take on This, Julie?

Due to its seeds, zucchini is actually a fruit that is used as a vegetable. But you can't count it both ways on your way to 5-a-day (that is, a daily total of two servings of fruit and three of vegetables).

With its mild flavor, zucchini lends itself to a variety of culinary creations. Besides, it's a dieter's dream--32 calories and 0.3 grams of fat per half-pound (yes, you read that correctly). Zucchini also contains some vitamin C, plus some pigments that are converted to vitamin A by the body. From main dishes to cakes, recipes featuring zucchini vary greatly in nutrient content--especially calorie content. For a low-calorie side dish, try sauteeing zucchini with some chopped onions before adding chicken broth; a half-cup counts as a serving.

This week's recipe makes a tasty snack or breakfast item when paired with low-fat milk or tomato juice. A serving (one-eighth of the recipe) of Zucchini-Onion Quick Bread contains 360 calories and 20 grams of fat. The fat content is primarily from the French-fried onions and butter or margarine.

A serving represents nearly one-third of the daily 65-gram fat recommendation, based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Budget for this bread by choosing lower-fat foods during the remainder of the day, like plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Or cut the loaf into smaller pieces. But try not to attach labels such as "good" or "bad" to the foods you eat. So-called bad foods tend to become even more desirable once they're forbidden. Think of higher-fat foods as ones we need to limit in terms of portion size or frequency of eating.

Eating healthy is worth the effort according to the accumulating amount of research, which shows that a diet high in fiber and low in fat can help reduce our risk of cancer, heart disease and other conditions. If you're one of the many people who struggle to fit in your fruits or vegetables, consider these suggestions:

• Choose fruits and vegetables in the form you like best, be it fresh, frozen, canned or dried.
• Drink some juice. At three-fourths cup per serving, fruit and vegetable juices do count toward the 5-a-day goal, but make sure the label states 100-percent juice.
• Try adding extra vegetables to casseroles and stews, shredded carrots to tomato sauces, or fruit to muffin or pancake batters.
• Tuck some fruit or vegetables in your lunch bag.
• Keep dried fruit such as raisins in your glove compartment for healthy snacks on the road.

Take advantage of the fruits (and vegetables) of summer. Use summer as a springboard to make eating plenty of fruits and vegetables a healthful habit. And I'm waiting for a certain co-writer of this column to "foist" some zucchini my way.

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Sources: Dean Hulse (701) 231-6136
Julie Garden-Robinson (701) 231-7187

Click here for a pdf version of this graphic. (60KB b&w recipe)