If you have extra zucchini from the garden or from friendly neighbors, do NOT waste a single bit of it. No matter how much you have, you can follow these 15 things to do with extra zucchini and enjoy that zuke all year long! 
What Can You Do With Too Much Zucchini?
Do you ask yourself this question every year?
Zucchini (or zuke) is often the brunt of a gardener’s well-meaning jokes. Have you ever heard that you should make sure to roll up your car windows at church during the summer, lest someone secretly off-load their extra zucchini on you? Well, you should because they will.
If you’re just beginning a garden, zucchini grows well in most areas and I suggest you plant one or two plants. No more than that, though, because you will certainly end up with more zucchini than you can eat or give away during the summer months.
Fortunately, there are a lot of things you can do with zuke to use it up or preserve it.
The following suggestions come from our book, The Do It Yourself Homestead, which has a whole chapter devoted to the homestead kitchen and so much information on zero-waste cooking tips – like what to do with extra zucchini! Please visit the link or the add below to get your copy and immediately start implementing what you learn there.
15 Things to Do With Extra Zucchini
In keeping with our homesteaders heart, the first thing we should always think to do with extra produce is to share it with those who might need it. With grocery bills mounting, our circle of those needing fresh produce expands every month.
Keep a list on your fridge of people you know who could use an extra boost this harvest season and visit them regularly. They might even be able to trade for something you need! A dual economy where we’re used to bartering might be a good thing to develop, just in case.
More Resources for Garden Abundance
Obtain a Yield: Increase Homestead Garden Harvests
5 Things to Do with Extra Apples
Once a Month Canning – schedule your canning year so you aren’t a crazy canning person come September!
Can You Freeze Extra Zucchini?
After you’ve donated what you can, you’ll still have zucchini leftover, so let’s start by talking about preserving the harvest.
Anytime we have extra produce from the garden or the farmer’s market we can find ways to preserve it for future use. This is especially useful when winter comes and fresh produce from the garden is in limited supply.
Zucchini freezes very well and can be used in sweet breads and soups for a boost of nutrition.
Click here to learn how to freeze extra zucchini from Sharon over at Simply Canning.
How Do You Preserve Zucchini?
Dehydrating is a popular way to preserve zucchini. My favorite way to dehydrate zucchini is to shred it first. Here’s how:
How to Dehydrate Extra Zucchini
Equipment
- Vegetable shredder, or food processor with a shredding blade
- Dehydrator, oven, or solar oven
- May also dehydrate zucchini on a window-type screen in hot, arid climates
Ingredients
- Zucchini washed and towel dried
Instructions
- Wash and pat zucchini dry.
- Grate zucchini with the largest setting on a grater, or shred in a food processor.
- Dump of all liquid that accumulates into your compost bin.
- Lay out the grated zucchini on dehydrator racks evenly and loosely. Do NOT let the zucchini clump. Thick clumps won't dehydrate evenly and can lead to mold.
- Set the dehydrator to 135F/57C, insert the racks and dry for about six hours, or until zucchini is completely dry to the touch.
- Allow to cool completely and "fluff" the bits of zucchini with your hands to check for doneness.
- Store in a glass jar with a lid for at least 24 hours and then check the sides of the jar for condensation. If you see droplets, the zucchini isn't finished drying and will mold. Return to the dehydrator and repeat process until dry.
- Store in a glass jar in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Notes
If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can dehydrate zucchini in the oven following this same method, but set the temperature to as low as your oven will go. For most ovens in the US, that’s 175°F/79°C. Check frequently and stir to prevent burning the zucchini.
If you have a solar oven, you may use it to dehydrate pretty much anything. To learn how to do that, please visit the article below which shows how to dehydrate apple slices.
Simply use zucchini slices or shreds in place of apples.
—>>>How to Dehydrate Apples in the Solar Oven<<<—
What Can You Do With Dried Zucchini Shreds?
Dried zucchini shreds can be used in any sweet bread recipe calling for fresh, shredded zucchini.
To Rehydrate Dried Zucchini Shreds:
- Measure 1 cup of dried zucchini shreds into a heat resistant bowl.
- Pour 1 1/2 cups of very hot water (185F-200F/85C-93C) over the shreds and allow to sit for 10-20 minutes, until soft.
- Pour off water and save for soup broth.
- Use rehydrated zucchini shreds as you would fresh in any recipe.
You can also add dehydrated zucchini shreds to already hot soups and allow them to rehydrate in the broth.
I use dehydrated zucchini shreds in my favorite Paleo hash brown recipe – so delicious!
<<<—Get the recipe for the tastiest Paleo Hash Browns—>>>
Canning Extra Zucchini
There are a few methods you can use when canning zucchini. Don’t plan to preserve zucchini whole, but you can make relish out of it and pickle spears.
My favorite relish recipe for zucchini is also my favorite relish recipe for eggplant – I put both together with some tomatoes and onions to make gvetch. Gvetch is a Russian relish that is absolutely perfect for canning.
—>>>Get the recipe for Gvetch<<<—
Included in a list of articles below are some more canning recipes for zucchini including pickles and marmalade!
13 More Things To Do With Extra Zucchini
- Toss thinly sliced zuke in some avocado oil and grated garlic to dehydrate or bake for an awesome homemade chip.
- Try stuffed zucchini for dinner followed by zucchini sweet bread for dessert.
- Zucchini can also be baked into any muffin, pancake, waffle or bread.
- If you’re staying away from grain, you can make “noodles” from zucchini with a spiralizer tool, a mandolin slicer or a simple knife.
- If you are using a spiralizer, be sure to save the oddly shaped bits that are left over from your zoodle making to add, thinly sliced, to your next morning frittata. Or stew. Or spaghetti sauce.
- Roll zucchini slices in breading and bake up like a fish stick or slice them into omelets and quiche. Add bacon.
- How about frying or grilling thick slices up like a burger and eating them for lunch? Don’t forget to add your favorite spices!
- If you shave zucchini down thinly, you can easily eat it raw in any salad in place of or along with cucumbers.
- It also makes a wonderful pureed soup and a topping for vegetarian pizza.
- How about trying your hand at zucchini fritters or zuke-based baba ghannouj?
- Add shredded zuke to any meatloaf or meatball recipe, as well as a stir fry, lasagna, casseroles or, of course, ratatouille.
- Your chickens and goats will enjoy the leftover plants once the zucchini stop producing in the cold weather of fall.
- Before frost comes to threaten late blooms, be sure to harvest them and fry them up after coating them in a simple batter—never had fried squash blossoms? Ooooh, you simply must try them!
For recipes and instructional articles, please see the list at the end of the article below.
Isn’t This More Trouble Than Tossing It Out?
Well, it’s a bit more work but I wouldn’t call it trouble, despite our hectic schedules.
Honestly, I don’t think most of us are evil, hate the planet, love to waste, or are lazy or stupid. I think we’re just a product of our modern culture which is a place wherein we can buy what we need in a store and can put what we don’t think we need in a garbage can.
And we’re busy. I think a case could be made for the argument that we’re too busy, but I digress. We need to learn a better way of doing things not because we’re wicked, but because we don’t know what we don’t know.
I was and still am guilty of not using up every resource I’ve been blessed with in the kitchen and so I’m ready to explore this topic with you and figure out what we all might do better to “use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without,” as our pioneer ancestors often quipped.
To learn more about zero waste cooking ideas, please visit our article below.
—>>>5 Ways to Avoid Food Waste<<<—
Resources for Using and Preserving Extra Zucchini
Below is a list of article that we have used and found helpful when dealing with lots of extra zucchini. We hope they’re helpful for you, too!
If you have a favorite way to use up zucchini, please leave a comment below – I would LOVE to try it myself!
Extra Zucchini Resources
Zucchini Marmalade
Zucchini Gummy Candy - A Fun and Easy Zucchini Recipe
Garden Fresh Zucchini Lasagna
Ferment that Baby Zucchini! How to Make Fermented Baby Zucchini Pickles — All Posts Healing Harvest Homestead
Zucchini Cornbread with Hot Peppers and Cheese
Zucchini Chips- Herb & Sea Salt
Zucchini Baba Ganoush Recipe | The Nosher
Squash Blossoms Crispy Fried
How to make low carb zucchini noodles
How to eat zucchini everyday and not get tired of it
Visit this article from Schneider Peeps to learn how to grow zucchini.
If you need further help on growing zucchini, or really growing anything, I recommend the Gardening Journal from Schneider Peeps. This is the tool I use every year to plan my gardens and I think it will help you, too.
Thanks for so many wonderful suggestions! I’ve had plenty to give away because I was out of ideas. Thanks again.
Of course, I’m glad it was useful! Thanks for stopping by!
There are so many amazing ideas here! My plants are still puny so I’m saving these tips for later in the season. Thanks for writing this!
You bet – you can never have too much zucchini!