They are green like a cucumber, but they come in the yellow variety as well. Zucchini are great stir fried with onions or steamed with a complement of other vegetables. If picked when they are about 3 inches long and cooked at once, they have delicious, very special flavor missing in the fully grown marrow. This flavor disappears if the zucchini has been picked more than 2 hours before. It pays to grow zucchini in your kitchen garden.
Choosing the Perfect Zucchini
Pick your zucchini wisely. They are all green, but a good zucchini is heavy. Now it may not always be long like a cucumber but it should be heavy like one. Depending on the farmer, some are smaller than others. Hold them in your hand and compare with others before choosing the ones you will buy. Select vegetables with a glossy, smooth skin. Reject those with soft spots or bruised.
Perfect for Summer Time
Zucchini is a popular vegetable in the summer. The taste is light and all you need to cook them is a bit of olive oil in a wok or large skillet and some salt and pepper to taste. I like to julienne or matchstick my zucchini, but others may want to slice it into nice round pieces. It is great as a starting veggie for kids because it doesn’t have an overpowering taste.
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