Be a kook for zukes. Grow them, love them and eat ridiculous amounts of them. Tis the season.
It is the time for zucchinis and many of us are surrounded by these squashes and are looking for friends (or enemies) to give the gift of extra gourds. It is a zucchini bonanza in my garden and it isn’t unusual to find farmers, friends and backyard growers looking for ways to pass along their plethora of produce.
Strategies for secretly sharing zucchinis (lest you get a “no thank you” if asked) include putting them in friends’ empty cars or dropping some on their porch when they are at work or in the dark of night. All kidding aside, what a great season it has been for squash, and although I have plenty in my garden, I am not one to shy away from bounties of locally grown anything. My car is unlocked and my porch is ready.
Zucchinis are prolific producers, and invariably those of us who grow them underestimate their fecundity. Recommendations for number of plants to sow suggest one per family or four, and two at the most will be enough. Even that is more than enough, too many for most.
With good conditions, one plant can produce up to 40 pounds of zukes per season, so maybe 20 to 30 individual zucchinis from one seed. And we all know what happens when you get busy, forget to harvest or miss a zuke among the giant leaves — baseball bat-sized beasts that challenge even the most dedicated zucchini chef. To avoid this, one can download a zucchini tracker from the web to help manage the harvest.
The bounty has even inspired a holiday. National “Sneak Some Zucchini onto your Neighbors’ Porch Day” is on August 8. Not to worry if you missed it — for some, it is celebrated every day in late July and August.
This holiday is somewhat official, being copyrighted and acknowledged by the Old Farmer’s Almanac. It is also on McGraw Hill’s Chase’s Calendar of Events, which “lists everything worth knowing and celebrating for each day of the year: 12,500 holidays, national days, historical milestones, famous birthdays, festivals, sporting events and more.”
Credit for Sneak Some Zucchini onto your Neighbors’ Porch Day should be given to the Roy Family. Tom, Ruth and son Michael are holiday fanatics who have created more than 70 documented days. Some are sillier than others: consider Cat Herders Day in December or Wonderful Weirdos Day in September. No matter what you think of those holidays, it is a great idea to celebrate daily.
But back to zucchini and the glorious glut of this favorite fruit. While giving them away is good advice, explore recipes and learn to sneak them into every dish. Besides bread, try zucchini rollups, gazpacho, hummus, chips (yes, like potato), sliders (with meat inside and zucchini circles as buns — turkey burgers for those alpha-gal-ers), crostini and even as a gluten-free pizza crust. The options are endless and the results divine.
If you can’t give those extra zucchinis away or are shy about the deck drop and run, you can freeze them or find friends (or strangers) and get collectively creative. Consider a zucchini-based potluck — Martha’s Vineyard Agricultural Society would be the perfect host and organizer.
There are those that don’t like zucchini (looking at you Zach Dupon), though honestly, I can’t imagine why. I will forever be a zealot for zukes and will never refuse these fruits (even though I have plenty of my own). They are truly the gift that keeps giving, and nothing anyone says will squash my enthusiasm.
Suzan Bellincampi is director of the Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary in Edgartown, and author of Martha’s Vineyard: A Field Guide to Island Nature and The Nature of Martha’s Vineyard.
This article appears in August 14, 2026.