I should know by now not to go out there without a basket!
One of my little watermelons!! He's about the size of a softball. Another one out there is baseball size and I have some cantaloupes that are various sizes and some are as big as two softballs put together.
Judging by the number of fruits on the vines, it's going to be quite the melon bounty. Hopefully, they'll do okay, because I have never had good luck with melons. The one year they did well, Mr. Groundhog found them before I could pick them.
In the meantime, I guess I have enough stuff to tide me over for a while. We visited a stand in Burnt Chimney this week-end and bought some sweet corn, zucchini and peaches from a little lady. (She was really little, seriously, and her voice was like a munchkin).
I'm thinking a veggie dinner tonight: caprese salad (yes, still have some hanger-on tomatoes), corn on the grill, cucumbers (maybe I'll throw those into the caprese) and...that will probably be enough!
Tomorrow, I'll make some zucchini bread and take a loaf to my friend who just gave birth.
I use the recipe from Cook's Illustrated. I've tried them all. No, really, I have. One year I had a bumper crop of zucchini. It was INSANE! So I was on a mission to find the best recipe and I like this one the best.
So here it is. Don't tell anyone. THE BLUE NOTES ARE FROM ME, THE ORANGE ONES FROM THE CHEF I GOT THIS FROM!!!
Zucchini Bread
Yields = (1) 9-inch loaf
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 pound zucchini, washed and dried, ends and stems removed, cut in half lengthwise and seeded if using large zucchini, each half cut into 1-inch pieces
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup pecans or walnuts, chopped coarse *I used pecans because most recipes call for walnuts and they were so good, I don't think I'll ever go back to walnuts in zucchini bread. (This is note from another chef, not the garden spot. I think I used pecans once, too.)1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup plain yogurt *I used lemon yogurt, since I didn't have plain yogurt on hand. This worked well and I will stick to the lemon yogurt in future batches. (I've never tried lemon yogurt, so I can't vouche for it. there will be more sugar in a flavored yogurt, so keep that in mind)
2 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 Tbsp. juice from a lemon
6 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees f. and adjust oven rack to middle position. Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2) Shread zucchini using a food processor, using the shreading blade. Transfer shreaded zucchini to a strainer, toss zucchini with 2 Tbsp. of sugar, then place strainer over bowl, set at least 2 inches over the bowl and allow to drain for about 30 minutes. (you may also want to squeeze the zucchini with a paper towel.
3) Meanwhile, spread the nuts on a baking sheet and toast until fragrant, 5 to 7 minutes. *Jill's Note: Don't skip this step! The toasted pecans added another level of flavor to this bread--so yummy! Transfer the nuts to a cooling rack and cool completely. Transfer the nuts to a large bowl; add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt, and whisk until combined. Set aside.
4) Whisk together the remaining 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp. sugar, yogurt, eggs, lemon juice, and melted butter in a medium bowl until combined. Set aside.
5) After the zucchini has drained, squeeze the zucchini with several layers of paper towels to absorb excess moisture. Stir the zucchini and the yogurt mixture into the flour mixture until just moistened. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth surface with a rubber spatula.
6) Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55-60 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool for at least 1 hour before serving.
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