This year the squash were a big surprise all around. We planted just three kinds of zucchini squash (dark green, yellow, and light green), and of the three, only the yellow managed to survive the onslaught of the squash vine borers. We’ve had yellow zucchini coming in pretty regularly since mid July, and we’ve made chili and other good stuff with it. Then of course there are the volunteers that we didn’t actually try to grow but grew anyway.
This is what our tomato bed looked like in the spring before we planted the tomatoes.
It was as if every single seed from every squash and pumpkin we’ve eaten in the last year sprouted and grew out of our compost. There were butternut squash, miniature pumpkins, pumpkins, acorn squash, you name it in there. Crazy. Of course we couldn’t let it just go to waste, so we transplanted a good portion of it to other areas, and then composted the rest. Some of it took to the new home, but others were attacked by the darn you-know-whats and didn’t make it. We do have two good strong butternut squash vines that have given us six squash so far with more on the way, like this one trailing across the yard.
We are sad that our green zucchini didn’t make it for the second year in a row, but in case you have zucchini still coming out of your ears, I’ll share an easy recipe for tasty and almost healthy zucchini muffins. I started with a whole wheat sour cream muffin recipe from King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking and made a few changes to suit our taste, and the muffins were a big hit both at home and at the annual back-to-school teacher breakfast.
Whole Wheat Zucchini Muffins with Greek Yogurt
Equipment
- stand mixer with paddle attachment, or hand mixer and large bowl
- medium bowl
- muffin tin, greased, or lined with papers (lightly spritz the papers with cooking spray)
Ingredients
- 2 cups white whole-wheat flour
- 1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup Greek yogurt, lowfat
- 1½ cups grated zucchini (about 3 medium)
- cinnamon sugar for sprinkling
Preparation
- In the medium bowl, whisk together the whole wheat flour, white flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Set aside.
- In the bowl of the stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until it’s light and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl and add the eggs one at a time, beating after each. Add the vanilla and Greek yogurt and mix until it’s all well combined, then stir in the grated zucchini.
- Add the dry ingredients, about a cup at a time, mixing on low just until the batter is smooth. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour. (The refrigeration time helps the whole wheat flour to absorb the liquids.)
- Preheat the oven to 400° F/200° C.
- Scoop the chilled batter into the prepared pan/muffin cups and sprinkle with a little cinnamon sugar. Bake until the muffins are cooked through and a tester comes out clean, about 22 to 26 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow the muffins to cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then turn them out on a rack to finish cooling.
Wow, lucky you having all those squash plants! The muffins look delicious.
Thanks Kalyn! We are very glad for all the volunteer squash and might even try planting butternut squash next year. 🙂
I love the idea of spraying the muffin liners w/ nonstick cooking spray. I always HATE how the muffins and cupcakes stick to the wrappers and that's why I never use them. Good tip. These look fabulous. I love the whole wheat zuccini bread recipe I have and have thought about converting it to muffins. Might try this.
looks healthy and delicious
Those muffins look delish Andrea! You know, our CSA is from California and we barely had any summer squash this year. I know they were expecting more based on the field notes, so I wonder if it was a bad year for zucchini elsewhere too.
Love that you got all those volunteers from your compost! And jeez! Why didn't I see your post before I made my muffins? Scatterbrained these days. Love the Greek yogurt in these -- no oil!
Your squash plants look spectacular. Currently my gardening attempts are limited to fresh herbs in pot on our little patio so I am very envious of your green thumb.
I have tried baking muffins and quick breads with Greek yogurt a couple of times now and I find the results tougher than when I use oil, butter, or buttermilk. Have you found this to be true? I vaguely remember reading something in a Cook's Illustrated publication that attributed to the extra protein it contains. Since I don't eat lots of sweet baked treats, I am going to be sure to include some fat for tenderness!
Sadly no one gave me zucchini this year. I have hardly any baked goods with it. Sigh.
These look yummy!