Fit-for-Company Zucchini Bread

I'm reminiscing about recipe clubs. Remember those groups? Club members would get together once a month and bring a sample of a favorite recipe for all to share, then everyone would exchange recipe cards. I remember getting a grape pie recipe that way once on a quaint little personalized card. "From the kitchen of..."

Today, we do a lot more of our recipe exchanging online. The upside of that arrangement is you have access to thousands more recipes all the time. The downside is no more free samples. Still, I'm taking a day away from the hot work of canning to invite you to a recipe party at my place. I'll make you a loaf of my favorite zucchini bread, and while we eat we can study over my new 100th Anniversary Ball Blue Book.


I'm in one of those in-between phases in the zucchini patch. Most of the older plants are getting too tired to produce much and the new ones aren't quite ready yet. I'll put in a gardening post soon that is about timing your successive plantings, and then hopefully do a better job of taking my own advice! So, not much zucchini today, certainly not enough for zucchini pickles. But plenty to offer the 2 C of grated zucchini I need for this recipe. And, because I had a small bowl of blueberries left over, I'll throw in a few of them as well.

The recipe begins by having you beat 3 eggs to a light foam. Add the grated zucchini, followed by 1 C of oil, 2 C of sugar and 2 tsp of vanilla. If you'd like to save on a few calories, replace some of the oil with applesauce and some of the sugar with Splenda. Blend these thoroughly.

Next, use a separate bowl to mix the dry ingredients, which include:
3 C flour

1 tsp salt

1tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 T cinnamon

1 tsp cloves

1 tsp allspice





After mixing the dry ingredients, blend both bowls' contents together. Lastly, fold in the blueberries. If blueberries aren't in season, raisins (3/4 cup) substitute nicely. This recipe makes enough batter for two half-filled loaf pans (as shown) or one large loaf. Bake in a 325 degree oven for 50 to 60 minutes. The clean toothpick test works for doneness. Finally, a dusting of powdered sugar is fitting as this sweet bread is more like a cake than a bread.




After I make the tea and take the good china from the hutch, I'll be ready to serve you. I'll show you a nice recipe for blueberry basil vinegar. I found it in this new cookbook. Let's make it, too, before the close of blueberry season.