It’s veggie harvest time
With the cold, wet spring on Quadra Island, our gardens are late to offer up their produce this year. But production is now getting into full swing and we will soon be desperately looking for what to do with all that zucchini.
Here is a recipe, contributed by one of our local growers, that will help with the zucchini overflow. The second recipe can be tweaked to use a variety of garden veggies. Try it out over the summer and see which version of Fridge Pickles becomes your house specialty.
ZUCCHINI FRITTERS
YIELD 4 SERVINGS CONTRIBUTOR JENNIFER BANKS-DOLL, FOOT FORWARD FARM
Like many Quadra Island gardens, Jennifer’s produces a lot of zucchini during the summer. She comments that “We like to shred and freeze a good supply to use over the winter. This recipe can be made with either fresh or frozen zucchini.”
METHOD
Place grated zucchini in a colander over the sink. Add 1 teaspoon salt and gently toss to combine. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, then rinse and remove the liquid by gently squeezing the zucchini by the handful.
In a large bowl, combine zucchini, flour, Parmesan, garlic and egg. Season with salt and pepper and herbs to taste.
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Scoop a tablespoon of batter for each fritter into the skillet and flatten with a spatula. Cook until the underside is nicely golden brown, about two minutes. Flip and cook on the other side, about another two minutes longer. (Alternatively, you can bake them in the oven if you prefer).
Serve immediately. They are great with hot sauce, chutney, mayonnaise, or anything sitting in your fridge that you are wondering how to use up.
INGREDIENTS
3 cups grated zucchini
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large egg, beaten
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
fresh or dried herbs, to taste
2 tablespoons oil
QUICK MEXICAN TAQUERIA FRIDGE PICKLES
YIELD ONE QUART CONTRIBUTOR TARA WILLIAMSON
Tara grew up canning all sorts of things with her mom and was a pickle fiend from a very young age. When she moved away to school in the city, she didn’t have access to the space or gear for water bath canning so she adapted a few of her favorites into quick fridge pickle versions, no canning needed!
METHOD
Mix the vegetables in a bowl with the sugar and salt. Toss to coat. Pack them into a large mason jar, pressing them down so that the vegetables are tightly packed. Add the vinegar and top with water to it cover the vegetables by half an inch. Tightly screw the lid on jar and shake to combine.
Put the jar in the fridge. The pickles should be ready to use after about one day but are best after five days. They will keep in the fridge for about a month but start to lose their crispness after a couple of weeks.
INGREDIENTS
1 onion sliced into rings
6 or more fresh jalapenos/serrano’s or other hot peppers, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced into rounds
1-2 radishes, sliced into rounds
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
½ tablespoon salt (or more to taste)
½ tablespoon sugar
½ cup blend of rice and apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar (or whatever you have on hand that’s lighter in acidity)
water (amount variable)
