High Maples Farm...

It was a "High Maples" day.  I woke up feeling farmey (if that's a word).  Tommy picked apples from our tree yesterday.  Our friend Randy gave us a semi-large zucchini.  Those are all the ingredients needed to get the burners going.  Our apples are organic so after a quick rinse and chop, in the pan they went.  Then I squashed them through the Foley food mill and spooned my sauce into pint jars.  It only takes a few minutes to process in the pressure canner.  Then on to the bread...

This is the best darned zucchini bread anywhere!  I used a recipe from "The Silver Palate," by Julee Rosse & Sheila Lukins.  I changed it slightly substituting some of the white flour for whole wheat and using my warm applesauce for half of the oil.  My daughter, Laurie, says that if you change two ingredients, the recipe is then yours.   

1 Tablespoon sweet butter

3 Eggs

1/2 Cup Applesauce

3/4 Cup of Oil

1 1/2 Cups of granulated sugar

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Cups grated unpeeled raw zucchini

1 Cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

2 Teaspoons baking soda

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1 Teaspoon salt

1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Teaspoon ground cloves

1 Cup shelled walnuts, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter (2) 4 X 8 1/2 inch loaf pans or (1) 9 X 5 using extra batter for  muffins.

2.  Beat eggs, oil, sugar and vanilla until light and thick.  Fold grated zucchini into oil mixture.

3.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Stir into zucchini mixture until just blended.  Fold in the walnuts.

4.  Pour batter into buttered pans.  Bake on the middle rack of the oven for approximately 45 minutes for smaller pans, one hour for large, or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

5.  Cool slightly, remove from pans, and cool completely on a rack.

Tomorrow, August 14, is National Leave a Zucchini on your Neighbor's Porch Day.  Then run!