Crossbred pumpkin and zucchini? Is that a pumpzini or Pucchini?

WP_20140823_008

So past few years I have been collecting seeds from my luxury pie pumpkins to plant the next year.  Everything was going as planned, they sprouted on the grow box brought them outside when the temperature was right and planted them in the garden.  They made a long vine and sprawled throughout my hard, then came the fruit…

Instead of the typical nice small round baby pumpkin, I saw something that more closely resembled a zucchini.  So my best guess is I made a crossbreed, which is not surprising since I have a pretty small area in my yard of southern facing full sun so pumpkins and zucchinis are planted in near vicinities.

WP_20140823_003

Not expecting to be the first person in history to do this I went online and found a few other references of other people doing this as well.  Sounds like my best bet is to roast it like other squash and is supposed to have a pretty creamy texture.  Will let you know how it turns out in a couple weeks…

We have zucchini

WP_20130613_001

This is definitely very early for zucchini for this part of the country but I am not complaining.  We just need a couple more to make zucchini bread (wife and kids favorite use) but for now I will be making zucchini noodles with this one 

The great/bad thing about zucchini is once it gets rolling you can easily be overrun with produce and your neighbors start closing your blinds when you come up to the door with armfuls to attempt to get rid of 🙂

Zucchini Muffin Recipe

232

This is the time of year when you have more zucchini in your garden than you can deal with.  You neighbors are closing their blinds when they see you coming up the street, here is a delicious option to make use of some of the fruits of your labor.

You can use this same recipe to make a large loaf of bread, but I like the muffin option since it is easier for my kids to grab a snack without having to pull out a knife to slice it up.

Zucchini Muffin/Bread Recipe

    Ingredients

  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (packed)
  • 1/4 cup white sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup old fashioned oats
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 2 cups finely grated zucchini (2 medium or 1 large zucchini)
  • 1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Stir flour, sugars, spices, baking powder/soda, salt, and oats into large bowl.
  • Combine eggs and vanilla to a small bowl, beat and add to larger bowl
  • Squeeze out liquid from grated and combine to large bowl until well combined.  Add chocolate chips and stir until well incorporated
  • Add batter to 9”X5” loaf pan or into 24 muffins.
  • Bake for 60 minutes (bread loaf) or 45 minutes (muffins) and allow to cool for 10 minutes before attempting to slice/consume.
IKE