Summertime Farmer’s Market Dessert
“Vegetables are a must on a diet. I suggest carrot cake, zucchini bread, and pumpkin pie.”–Jim Davis
There is an oft repeated cautionary tale reminding parishioners to lock their car doors during the summer months when attending worship services. Otherwise, when you return after service, your car will have been gifted all the extra, and unwanted, zucchinis from a neighbor’s garden!
My mom recently repeated that story to me, and it made me think of my grandmother, her mother, Helen. As a child, my siblings and I often stayed with my maternal grandparents during the summer months, and we came to know much of the ins and outs of their life. This understanding of their life grew even greater during a two year stint in which I lived with them, as a young adult. And, that day-to-day life revolved around projects/chores around the house, their church community, family, and most importantly, mealtimes–with special emphasis on summertime produce for freezing, canning, and, of course, eating!
For example, during the summer months as a child, Pappaw grew a garden, as did all of their neighbors and fellow church community. Throughout the summer Pappaw gave extra vegetables to neighbors and friends. In return, they reciprocated with their bounty. Their in-home summer diet was supplemented with regular trips to a nearby produce stand, one town over from the little community in which they lived.
Therefore, even though, as a young child, I grew up surrounded by distinct aromas, vibrant colors, and a wide variety of shapes of summer produce. Half-runner beans, strung and broken into pieces cooking on the stove in a pressure cooker; sweet ears of corn on the cob, shucked, boiled and ready to be served up with tubs of “oleo;” glass jars of a neighbor’s sorghum syrup ready to be drizzled over biscuits, fresh bell peppers–although they called them “mangos”–chopped and ready for salads, sauces, or other recipes, and thinly sliced beefsteak tomatoes sprinkled with salt were common weekly summer meal features. Summer desserts featured strawberry shortcakes and blackberry cobblers, as each of those fruits came into season. Other summertime desserts included watermelon wedges cold and salted, along with fresh summer melons, cut in half, and filled with ice cream or cottage cheese.
Then came the two years that I lived with them. No longer were my grandparents able to grow, manage, and maintain their garden, but it didn’t stop their neighbors and community members from sharing the bounty of their gardens with them. Cue stage right, enter the oversized zucchini–countless oversized zucchini covering the kitchen counter from well-meaning garden-growing church community members!
Grandmother would cut up those zucchinis with fresh peppers, onion, and tomatoes. Then, she’d season them and cook ‘em all up together–sometimes on the stovetop, like a stew, and sometimes in the oven with cheese and bread crumbs on top. Her favorite variation was something she called zucchini boats in which she sliced large zucchinis in half, smothered each half in spaghetti sauce, sprinkled the sauce with parmesan, and baked them until golden brown in the oven. Finally, Grandmother Helen also baked zucchini breads and zucchini cakes–sheet or layer with cream cheese or buttercream icing. Therefore, I absolutely believe that she would have loved the recipe that follows.
Here’s to my grandparents’ summer time vegetable meal memories. And remember, if life gives you lemons, I mean zucchinis, then here’s a way to turn them into a sweet, summertime dessert! It may have you saying, “I can’t believe it’s not apple crisp!”
P.S. Be sure to tag me on social media, or reach out to me via email if you make this!
I Can’t Believe It’s Not Apple Crisp:
Summertime Farmer’s Market Dessert
Gluten-Free and Vegan Options
Ingredients:
Filling:
6 cups peeled, deseeded (if large) and cubed (think thick pineapple chunks) zucchini* (About 5 medium store-sized zucchini/squash)
½ cup sugar or pure maple syrup
¼ cup lemon juice
1 ½ teaspoon apple pie spice (Can substitute with 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, & ⅛ teaspoon allspice)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour, gluten-free if needed
Streusel Topping:
1 cup oats
¾ cup all-purpose flour, gluten-free if needed
¾ cup brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup cold butter, cut into pieces (can use vegan variety)
Directions:
Peel and cube zucchini.
Over medium heat, add prepared zucchini and all filling ingredients EXCEPT flour.
Allow to cook down, approximately 10-20 minutes, or until zucchini chunks are super soft when pressed with a spoon.
Stir in flour and allow to cook 3-5 more minutes, or until flour has been well incorporated and filling has thickened.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Spray 8×8 or 9×9 square baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
In a medium bowl, mix together oats, flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until well blended.
Cut in cold butter into mixture, using a fork or pastry blender, until crumbly, careful not to overmix. Set aside.
Spread zucchini filling mixture evenly into prepared baking pan.
Sprinkle with streusel topping mixture.
Bake 30-45 minutes, or until topping is crispy, golden brown and juices are bubbling along edges.
Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 generous servings or 9 smaller servings.
Feel free to top with favorite ice cream or whipped topping if desired.
*Feel free to experiment with other summer squashes, such as, yellow squash, crookneck squash, pattypan, cousa squash, and zephyr varieties
Steph Simply 