Zucchini is kind of a miracle plant. It is sure the king in the world of garden abundance. It seems like one of them could feed a village, or at least a small apartment building.
I’ve only ever need to plant one of them and still end up taking a bunch of them to work to give to people who live in the city. I’ve tried them in a couple of different gardens and the zucchinis always grow like they were trying to take over the garden if not the neighborhood.
Every summer the following joke circulates in Seattle: Why do Seattlers lock their cars in August? So people won’t dump zucchinis in the back seat!
Zucchini is an easy and bountiful crop to grow. In fact, tasty slender zooks turn into oversized baseball bats almost overnight if you are not vigilant.
Check your squash as soon as you notice it blooming. Once it starts producing, it continues steadily throughout the growing season. They normally begin to produce about 50 days after germination.
The more you pick, the more it will produce. For this reason, you may want to consider having only a few plants of each variety, unless you intend to feed the whole neighborhood.
Pick zucchini when they are young (four to six inches) and tender. Some people wait until the fruit becomes a monster. While definitely still edible, it is tougher and the skin may need to be peeled. Biggest is NOT best. The most flavorful zucchinis are small- to medium-sized.
Truth is, the smaller the zucchini, the better it is in the kitchen. The flesh is soft and sweet, the seeds still so immature they are barely noticeable. For the gourmet, baby zucchini the size of your finger are considered a delicacy that costs far more per ounce than the larger fruits.
I have found that trimming a few leaves on a zucchini isn’t a bad idea at all. Most of them actually have more leaves than needed for the photosynthesis process and by taking a few off it helps send the extra vital nutrients directly to the fruit instead of the leafy matter. I have to trim off some of the leaves anyway, makes it easier to find the fruits.
Zucchini is an excellent source of vitamin C and other nutrients—the darker the skin the more nutrients. It’s also very low in calories. If you get tired of zucchini bread and stuffed zucchini, you can sneak bits of zucchini into soups, stews, salads, stir fries, and smoothies.
With a mild flavor that balances well in so many dishes, from savory to sweet, it turns out to be a great addition to a healthy diet as it’s both filling and nutritious.
According to NutritionData.com, zucchini is a five star choice for weight loss, owing to the sense of fullness it gives while also containing a high nutrient content.And don’t forget: the darker the zucchini, the greater the nutrients and minerals, so look for those deep green colors.
Zucchini have male and female flowers. The female flowers have swellings at the base, which develop into the zucchini fruit.
For every female flower, there are at least three male flowers produced on the same plant, these bearing only the pollen-making organs. Bees do the job of carrying pollen from the male to female flowers.
Once the female flower has faded and begins to form fruit, the role of the male flowers is over. As a result, a large zucchini plant may end up with lots of excess male flowers. These large male flowers are edible. These blooms can be prepared in a variety of delicious dishes.
The male flowers make colorful additions to salads and are good in tempura. Harvest flowers in the morning, place with their bases in water, and store in the refrigerator until you are ready to use them.
Want to know more about zucchini? Then click here:
Lose Weight. It’s Zucchini Season! | Natural Health Solutions
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Yours truly, Polly – Organic Gardener
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First time I heard of the trimming of the leaves suggestion. Will try. I usually use zucchini in the kitchen for light and healthy pasta dishes, but I might be expanding this soon to some veggie-only options.
Thanks for this great post! It has been very useful. I hope that you will continue posting your knowledge with us.
Interesting, thanks for that. My son has a total aversion to eating raw fruit for some reason, so I make the fruit into smoothies for him and then he loves it! I also found some great smoothie recipe here and thought I’d share – lots of other great ideas there.