Zucchini Recipe Weather: On the Cusp of Autumn

There are a lot of jokes about what happens when you grow zucchini. Mostly they involve one seed, two seeds, 10 bushels of zucchini. And somehow three-fourths of mine overgrow, no matter how often I check the plants. So I was delighted to use two "baseball bats" of zucchini and half of a smaller one in this pair of recipes.

ZUCCHINI CRANBERRY PECAN BREAD

I like my zucchini bread moist and yummy. This goes beyond the usual "add some cinnamon" in a wonderful way.

Preheat the oven to 350º and grease two 5 by 9 inch loaf pans.

Coarsely grate enough zucchini to make 3 cups; set aside.

Beat together:
2 large eggs or 3 medium
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
2/3 cup melted butter (I actually used half melted butter, half corn oil)
dash of salt (if you use unsalted butter, up the salt to a quarter teaspoon)

Gently stir in the grated zucchini.

In a separate bowl, mix:
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup dried cranberries

Add this to the liquids and stir briskly with wooden spoon or something similar.

Divide between the two pans and bake for 50 minutes. Cool in pans for 10 minutes and turn out onto wire racks -- or leave in the pans if you know you're going to each them right away, and serve at room temperature or a bit warmer.

IMPORTANT NOTE: if you like a "bread" that stays moist and rich, some of the "liquid fat" needs to be from something that's solid at room temperature, like butter or shortening. If you opt to use all corn oil anyway, cut it back to 1/2 cup and enjoy the bread sooner rather than later.

ZUCCHINI & ONION SLICES, PICKLED

If you use a box grater, there may be a slicer on the side; that's what I used this time, since I have a temporary ban on using my shiny new mandoline (two out of three times using it, I've draw significant blood). My food processor would not give me thin enough slices -- these should be almost transparent.

Slice, then gently toss together by hand:
4 quarts sliced zucchini
1 quart sliced peeled onions (about 3 large or 4 medium)

Put these in a nonreactive cooking pot (stainless steel or enamel) and set aside.

Bring to a boil:
1 quart cider vinegar
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup Kosher or pickling salt
2 teaspoons celery seeds
2 teaspoons dill seeds
1 teaspoon dry mustard

Pour boiling liquid and seeds over the vegetables and let sit, covered, for 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring 7 pint jars to a boil in a hot-water canner. Just as this comes to a boil, turn on the heat on the veggies. Bring them to a boil and cook 3 minutes, removing from heat promptly. (While this is cooking, take your jars out and prepare to fill them.)

Fill jars to within 1/2 inch of top; add lids and bands, and process for 5 minutes after water bath returns to a boil. Remove from water bath and do not disturb them until morning.

 NOTE: I've written this for people who have some pickling experience. If you have none: Read about it a few times first, and try to do your first recipe with someone else who's done pickling; there are many small tricks. Most important: do NOT use iodized (table) salt. It spoils the food.