The Ransom-McKenzie Team

Bountiful Gardens

Here in Riverside, we live in a gardening mecca.  Year round vegetable gardens are one of the joys avid gardeners appreciate here in our temperate climate. This time of year especially, many gardens are overflowing with produce.  So much so that we often struggle with what to do with the fruits of our labor.  Tomatoes, strawberries, peppers and squash varietals are abundant in every garden right now.

When chatting with one of our neighbors this past weekend, after she brought over a full grocery bag of patty pan squash, she commented that she had so much she was having a hard time keeping up and did not know what to do with it all.  She was tired of sliced, sauteed patty pan.  Well, we have a great recipe for that or any type of squash.  The great thing about this recipe is that it can be changed up to suit whatever taste you’re craving at the moment.

Starting with fresh, homegrown ingredients is always a joy!

Zucchini Cakes

These Zucchini (or any other squash) cakes are just like crab cakes, only we’re using grated squash instead of crab meat.  Here are the basic ingredients:

The amounts of these ingredients in your recipe will vary depending on how much squash you have.  You can choose whatever herbs you have growing in your garden.  Basil, Sage, Dill, Tarragon….whatever you’re in the mood for.  The same goes for the cheese.  We’ve used Mexican Cheese, Feta, Romano….whatever sounds good.

Zucchini is a very watery vegetable, so you will need to salt the grated squash and put it in a colander to drain for about 30 minutes to an hour.  After the squash has rested, rise it out in the colander and squeeze the grated zucchini out in  a kitchen towel.

Mix the ingredients together in a large bowl. A glass of wine helps too!

Once the ingredients are mixed together, you should have a slightly mushy consistency.  They should have enough bread crumbs and egg to hold them together on the grill.

Browning up the zucchini cakes on a cast iron grill.

We hope you enjoy this summer treat!  The zucchini cakes can be served as the main entree with a side salad, or can be dished up along with your favorite grilled meat.  One of our favorite options is fresh sockeye salmon!

Enjoy!