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Gadzukes! Zucchini is ready. It amazes me how fast these squashes grow. One day they are not quite ready and the next they are the size of baseball bats on steroids. There are so many uses for this fruit, though it is treated like a vegetable. It can be prepared using a variety of cooking techniques, including steamed, boiled, grilled, stuffed and baked, barbecued, fried, or incorporated in other recipes. I love it steamed with a little salt and butter or mixed with tomatoes, onions, garlic, green pepper, basil, oregano and simmered til cooked. It is very tasty, marinated with garlic and oil and grilled to perfection. It makes great desserts and muffins. Zucchini cake topped with cream cheese frosting is an absolute summer must, even if only once. Unfortunately, these little agressive growers produce so fast that I usually end up making the following bread recipe and freezing them for the winter.

Zucchini Bread

Mix the following in a bowl:

3 cups flour                           1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar                 2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cloves              1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg                        1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder               

Put in blender and mix for 30 seconds:
2/3 cup vegetable oil
4 cups chopped zucchini                       
3 eggs

Add to dry mix.

Stir in:
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup golden raisins

Pour into 2 bread pans, bake about 1 hour at 350.