Home Grown ~ Home Made ~ Zucchini Bread

Today has been a mentally straining day . In an effort to clear my mind and busy my hands I decided to work on one of my domestic "to-do's" . My dad has been growing a garden this summer and I'm proud to be a benefactor of some of the fresh veggies . Zucchini has been producing in large amounts  . So, in trying to be a good steward of this fresh garden goodness I've been researching online ways to preserve and use my bounty of zucchini . I have for a long time wanted to try making Zucchini bread so this was my chance . It is currently in the oven baking . I feel so proud to have made it from scratch with the help of my fathers garden . The steps are simple and you can find a plethora of recipes online for just about any variety of zucchini bread that might suit your fancy . I am baking two separate loaves . The original recipe calls for nutmeg and nuts both of which my mamaw is allergic too . So, I'm baking her a free of allergens loaf and another one with nutmeg , nuts, and raisins in it . I can't even wait !! I am crossing my fingers and hoping it turns out amazing .

 The recipe I chose is as follows :

2 eggs beaten 1 1/3 cup sugar , 2 teaspoons vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda, Pinch salt
3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 cups shredded zucchini ,
1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries or raisins (optional)

Preheat and Bake @ 350 - bake for 50-ish minutes

I will be sure to report back on the success (see me thinking positive) of these loaves of bread .

Another project I worked on to try and preserve my zucchini is freezing . I figured usually veggies are in the frozen section so there must be a secret to making it work at home and not ruining them .

After some research I went with this protocol :

slice zucchini into desired shape

 after having washed and sliced
 blanch = boil for 3-4 minutes

Let Cool and place in freezer bag , date and freeze

I am anxious to try a friends recipe for zucchini fries some time soon as well as some www.pinterest.com recipes as well . Another to-do I'll have to report back to you about at a later time . I hope you are having a wonderful summer . Am I the only one looking forward to Fall already ?

Happy Monday !!!