First USE, then reduce, reuse, recycle
Zucchinis, Summer Squash, Pumpkins, Oh My!
Photo by Christy Hinko on Unsplash
“Don’t leave your car windows open and walk away, or you might find your seats full of zucchini when you come back,” was a joke in the small town where I used to live.
Last week, when I was at Trader Joe’s, zucchini was selling for $1.29 each. At Safeway, they cost $2.29 a pound. I thought it would be a good time to visit some friends from my old small town and leave my windows down. I might get rich.
In the hopes that the zucchini or pumpkin god has blessed you, I am sharing some ideas on how to use these wonder squashes.
If you want to eat them, the options are endless. You might:
Make a stir-fry.
Add them to soup.
Bake a squash cake.
Fry it like hash browns.
Do what my mother did, and sneak them into smoothies, casseroles, and brownies.
If you never want to eat another zucchini or pumpkin again, you can:
Leave them on a neighbor’s porch.
Take them to a vegetable exchange or local foodbank.
Put them in your green bin or a compost pile.
If you want to be creative, you could:
Hold a squash carving and smashing party.
Invite people to a pumpkin and zucchini hunt, much like an Easter egg hunt, and then, only after the game is over, announce that all squash found must go home with the finder.
Lastly, remember, when you use your zucchinis, pumpkins, or other excess food, you are doing everyone a service. Food waste sent to landfills creates about 10 percent of the world’s greenhouse gases, and wastes valuable water and soil.
Recipe for Pumpkin (or Zucchini Bread)
From the cookbook How Can This Be Gluten-Free
I have listed many substitutes. Using what you have rather than running to the store to get a specific ingredient is a first step towards reducing waste:
Ingredients:
1¼ cup of gluten-free flour with xanthan gum (wheat flour is also OK)
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
¾ cup of pumpkin puree (or zucchini and summer squash put through the food processor)
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
½ cup granulated sugar
½ packed brown sugar
¼ vegetable oil
2 ounces cream cheese
2 large eggs
½ walnuts, chopped fine
2 Tbs. buttermilk (or milk)
Step by Step:
Heat the oven to 350, grease one loaf pan, and mix the flour and spices together.
Combine pumpkin (or zucchini that has been through the food processor) and spices, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.
Once off the heat, add the sugar, oil, and cream cheese. Let it sit for 5 minutes, then whisk till smooth.
Whisk together eggs and buttermilk in a separate bowl. Add egg to cooled pumpkin mixture and combine until no lumps remain. Add nuts.
Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 45-50 minutes. Cool before serving.
A Note to Readers:
If you are a regular reader of my posts, you may have wondered if I have been kidnapped or perhaps died.
I am happy to report that I have no catastrophic excuses for not posting. Rather, I have been busy pursuing other tasks and opportunities, such as writing for Spokane Zero Waste (SZW)’s newsletter and coordinating my parents’ move from their apartment in Auburn to a care facility in Spokane.
Both of these endeavors have been stressful and time-consuming, but my parents are now settled, and it feels great to be part of an organization that has a mission that aligns so closely with my values:
“Our mission is to build the knowledge, skills, and systems for a thriving, waste-free community.”
Some of their projects include:
Waste Sorting at local events
SZW has become the garbage service for many local markets and street fairs. At these events, volunteers work at waste stations to help the public sort their garbage into separate bins for compost, recyclables, or trash. During these nights, SZW has already saved 100s of pounds of refuse from our landfills, while educating the public about food waste.
Mend-it Cafe
SZW hosts Mend-it Cafes where volunteer sewers fix or mend, at no cost, up to three items for any individual. These events help to break the cycle of buying new items because our old items need to be repaired.
ReCraftLab
SZW collaborates with local immigrant and refugee service organizations to train women to upcycle vinyl banners, billboards, sailcloth, and canvas into new tote bags, zipper pouches, and yoga pillows.
I am proud to be a part of this organization. If you would like to learn more about what SZW does or how to become involved, I suggest you visit their website.
My favorite zucchini story is about the one that hides amongst the leaves until it is the size of a Buick. All true!