Thanks to her mother's Italian lineage, zucchini figured prominently in the family's diet, Murphy says. "Especially in summer, it was a big deal in our family." A simple primavera dish consisting of tomatoes, fresh zucchini and onion sauteed lightly and tossed with pasta, olive oil and basil was "one of our favorites," she says.
Zucchini's ample fruiting habits appeal to Oxford resident Sarah Mayock, who is growing zucchini for the second year in the plot she and her family keep in nearby Trappe. The squash is a versatile addition to the Mayocks' year-round menu. "You can use zucchini in anything," Mayock says.
Only a few spoonfuls remain of the six pints of last year's zucchini relish, but Mayock has already put up more to take her husband and three sons through the next year. The relish, tangy with pickling spices, is as yummy on hamburgers and hotdogs, or crackers and cheese, as its counterpart made with cucumbers.
Zucchini also takes the form of a sweet treat for the Eastern Shore family. "We made plenty of zucchini bread last year with raisins and nuts. I freeze them to keep them over the winter," Mayock says.
During a cooking class in Istanbul last year, Baltimore restaurateur Donna Crivello learned to make Zucchini Fritters, served as mezze - appetizers. Prepared similarly to potato latkes, they are "very nice," perhaps more delicate or more tender than latkes, Crivello says.
She has added the fritters to the summer menu in her Charles Village Donna's restaurant, where zucchini figures as well in ratatouille, tapenade and roasted vegetables. At home, "I love it grilled and roasted with a little salt and pepper," Crivello says.
In her Havre de Grace garden, Hildie Joy Mathis, 48, grows zucchini that she and her mother use to make bread, stromboli and Zucchini Bake.
"I like Zucchini Bake because it's unusual," says Hilda S. Mathis, 85. "And the zucchini bread with crushed pineapple is spectacular; nice and moist and easy to make."
In his garden, Gailunas harvests two portofino hybrid zucchini and slices off two star-burst shaped samples. The taste is mild, but wonderfully redolent of the season and ripe for a simple evening meal.
But that doesn't mean that the zucchini that escape Gailunas' garden gaze until they're enormous are beyond redemption. For Gagutz, Gailunas removes the zucchini's watery pith and sautes the rest, along with onions, peppers, tomatoes and spices to create a summer stew, "made magical," he says, with parmesan.
