Too Late to Celebrate National Zucchini Bread Day?

Category: breads, veggies | Difficulty: easy

Well it's clear I missed National Zucchini Bread Day! It was April 23rd and I have no idea what I was doing then, but it's never too late to use left over zucchini and make a wonderful bread out of it. My friend Heather told me about the story about how farmers would have so much of zucchini that during the summer months they would do almost anything to get rid of it even leaving it on neighbor's doorsteps! I thought this was so funny and couldn't possibly believe it was true until I did some research on it. I found this site Holiday Insights on the subject:

"In the summer months, the prolific zucchini plant produces more fruit than gardeners can use. As summer progresses, everyone becomes sick and tired of the eating zucchini. But, the harvest goes on, day after day, after day. By mid summer, gardeners are resorting to all sorts of tricks to get rid of the mountains of fruit produced in their gardens. Some even stealthily leave zucchini on neighbors' door step in the middle of the night."

Sometimes the day is April 23 or April 25th but not to be confused with National Zucchini Day which is August 8th. And by this time we're all looking for creative ways to use up the zucchini! So ok, I'm months late celebrating this day - but hey I hardly ever do things on time!!!!

Ingredients:
3 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 c. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla
2 c. coarsely grated zucchini (loosely packed)
2 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Preparation:
In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat 3 eggs until frothy. Gradually add 2 cups sugar. Stir in 1 cup vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon of vanilla. Beat until thick and lemon colored. Stir in zucchini.

In a medium bowl, whisk together to combine 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/4 teaspoon baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. Stir dry mixture into wet mixture, stirring to combine. Add chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired.

Spray two bread loaf pans (approximately 8" x 4" x 3") with Baker's Joy, or grease and flour to prevent sticking. Pour batter into pans and level off with the back of a spoon.

Bake for approximately 1 hour or until done. Allow loaves to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then run a knife along the sides to loosen bread and remove from pans. Cool on wire rack. Brush tops of loaf with melted butter while still warm.