bored to death

Literally.

Many of our zucchini and squash plants have once again become the victims of squash vine borers. It is SO frustrating! Like last year, we got a few awesome zukes and straightneck squash before we noticed the ominous wilting beginning to take place. I was so excited, I even finally caved and bought a spiralizer! Sigh.

I guess I should be thankful that some of the plants seem to be surviving (knock on wood) and that we got enough zucchinis to make an awesome batch of zucchini bread. I followed this recipe pretty closely, though one change I made was to use coconut oil in place of some of the butter. I love that stuff and the subtle coconut flavor it contributes.

This bread tastes great. I've made some awful zucchini bread in the past--too dense or too bland, and on it goes. I think draining the zucchini a little bit is a necessary step--if your veggies are too wet, your bread will take forever to bake and won't result in the fluffy tender crumb you see before you here. Don't skimp on the spices, either--this bread can take loads without those flavors becoming overwhelming.

My hopes for you are three-fold: I hope you make this bread, I hope you enjoy lots of zucchini this summer, and I hope that if you're growing your own zucchini, you don't ever have to deal with those evil, awful, disgusting, and destructive squash vine borers.

Before-the-Bore Zucchini Bread Adapted slightly this recipe(printable recipe)
Makes 2 tiny loaves
Ingredients:

• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 4 cups grated zucchini
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray or grease and flour two 8x4- or 9x5-inch loaf pans liberally.
Place the grated zucchini in a sieve or colander over a bowl to drain any excess moisture.
In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, melted butter, oil, and sugar, then mix in the zucchini and vanilla.
In another bowl. combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
Add the flour mixture, a third at a time, to the wet mixture, stirring after each incorporation. Fold in the nuts. Divide the batter evenly into prepared pans.
Bake loaves for 50 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool in pans for 10 minutes. Turn out onto wire racks to cool thoroughly.