Zucchini, from porch to plate

We’re just a day away from Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day (Aug. 8). That makes today Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day Eve, a day of happy anticipation and friendly antics as overwhelmed home gardeners try to cope with their bounty of great green courgettes by fobbing them off on their friends and neighbours.

If you’ve never heard of this holiday, there is no better time to get on board.

Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day was dreamed up by retired Pennsylvania radio/talk show host and actor Thomas Roy and his wife Ruth Roy. The couple run Wellcat Holidays and Herbs (wellcat.com). Their website features more than 80 of their invented (and copyrighted) holidays which are just an excuse to celebrate something goofy a couple of times a week. Their holidays are also published in the annual Chase’s Calendar of Events (McGraw-Hill).

Here’s how to celebrate Sneak Some Zuke:

The idea is to share some of your crop with your neighbours in a friendly but slightly mischievous way. You can add a funny note to the zucchini, or gussie it up as you would a Mr. Potato Head. If you are ambitious, attach a recipe card. Leave it on the porch after dark or when they are out. Try not to look suspicious.

If you are unable to get past your neighbour’s yappy dog with your zucchini, set up a table with some out in the yard near the front sidewalk with an invitation to dig in. And you can always share your bounty with a local food bank or soup kitchen.

To make the best of your zucchini, it would be helpful to know a little something about it. With a soft, edible skin, zucchini is considered a summer squash (as opposed to, say, pumpkin, a winter squash, which could be stored through the winter). Its botanical moniker is Cucurbita pepo, also known as courgette zucchini. It is part of the gourd family Cucurbitaceae. Zucchini is low in calories and contains fibre and nutrients such as vitamins C and B6, potassium and manganese.

Zucchini are best harvested at six to eight inches long. They’ll be more flavourful, have fewer seeds and will be tender. The larger they grow, the more they will become bitter and seedy. Cut the fruit from the vine, leaving about an inch of stem on the fruit. Breaking it off can damage the plant.

Zucchini can succumb to frost, so keep an eye on overnight temperatures in the fall and be ready to harvest in a hurry.

If you’ve waited too long to harvest or a devious neighbour has saddled you with a courgette of extraordinary girth, slice it thickly, marinate in some teriyaki sauce and grill it.

Once harvested, leave zucchini unwashed in a plastic or paper bag with one end open for air to circulate. It should keep in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator for up to seven to 10 days.

To freeze it, give it a wash and cut it into a fairly large dice. Blanch with a one- to three-minute dip in boiling water, then plunge into ice water to cool. Spread out to dry on a tea towel, then spread onto baking sheets to freeze. Once frozen, transfer to freezer bags and remove as much air as possible and return to the freezer. Use within three months. To freeze shredded zucchini (better for baking) give it a wash, grate and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Pop into freezer bags, remove air and freeze.

The Brandon Sun wishes all their readers a healthy and happy Sneak Some Zucchini onto Your Neighbour’s Porch Day. Enjoy the friendly subterfuge and watch out for the ring cameras.

» wendyjbking@gmail.com