A Taste of Summer

I love cooking with fresh produce.  But, I don't know about yours, but my local grocery store produce sections leave a lot to be desired... Wilted lettuce, bruised fruit, a little lacking in color, and a lot lacking in taste.  Which is why I get really excited this time of year.  Time for Saturday morning farmers' markets!  Amish farmers' markets are especially plentiful around this part of the country.  This is definitely the best place to obtain ripe, colorful, and tasty local produce.  Of course, my excitement for this fresh food tends to lead me to overbuy, leaving me with way too much produce to eat by myself... So what's a girl to do?  Look for new recipes to try! 

I ended up with a little too much zucchini after a recent foray to my local Amish produce stand.  With vacation coming up, and no time to enjoy it fresh, I decided that the best route would be deliciously spiced zucchini bread!  A quick Google search led me to this recipe.  It was a little lacking in spice for my taste, so I added a little nutmeg, cloves, and brown sugar.  I didn't have the cup of walnuts it called for, so I used the 1/2 cup I had in my pantry, and I think it turned out perfectly! 

I took some loaves in to work and my coworkers gobbled it up before I could take a picture.  So, you'll just have to trust me when I say it looked a lot like this, only with a nice sweet, sugary, crusted top.

Zucchini Bread

2 cups shredded raw zucchini

3 eggs

1 1/4 cups sugar

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 cup vegetable oil

2 cups flour

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

2 teaspoons nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

light brown sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.  Grease & flour (or use Pam for Baking spray if you're lazy like me!) two 8 x 4 x 2 loaf pans.  Or use 3 mini loaf pans in place of one large loaf pan.

2. Put zucchini in strainer and press or squeeze with hands to get some of the excess liquid out.

3. In a mixing bowl beat eggs, sugars, and oil together.

4. Stir in the flour, baking powder, soda, spices, salt, vanilla, and walnuts, mixing just until all ingredients are combined.

5. Add drained zucchini and mix well.

6. Pour into loaf pans and sprinkle tops of loaves with brown sugar to form a crusted top.

7. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Get yourself to a farmers' market and make this bread!  You're welcome! :-)