Harvesting zucchini becomes a Goldilocks moment of when to pick it.

Zucchini should be neither too small nor too big but just right; no longer than 6 to 8 inches is ideal. Those jumbos that get away from you and are the size of baseball bats are seedy and dry, but all is not lost if you turn them into soup, add them to stews, or donate them to the compost pile.

What about those brilliant yellow zucchini flowers that Italians love to stuff and batter-fry? Zucchini plants produce male and female flowers that are pollinated by bees or other pollinators. Male flowers appear first on the plant stem end and are not attached directly to the zucchini, but female flowers are. The male flower pollen is transferred by bees and insects to the female flowers, which in turn gives us zucchini!

If you want lot of zucchini (and that happens in a wink of an eye), don’t pick too many male flowers. If you harvest too many, pollination will be interrupted and will result in a low yield of zucchini. This almost never happens to me! Make this classic Italian zucchini salad and serve with crusty bread!

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Zucchine alla Scapece (Marinated Zucchini Salad)

INGREDIENTS

2 medium size zucchini cut into very thin rounds

1-1/2 teaspoons salt

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil.

1 large clove garlic, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons red or white wine vinegar

¼ cup minced fresh mint

DIRECTIONS

Toss the zucchini in a bowl with the 1 teaspoon salt and the pepper and set aside

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large saute pan and add the garlic; cook over medium low heat until the garlic is golden brown; remove. Fry the zucchini in batches in the same pan until golden brown; as they cook, transfer the slices to a dish. Add a little oil if pan seems dry.

In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 4 tablespoons olive oil with the ½ teaspoon remaining salt, vinegar and mint. Pour over the zucchini and mix gently to combine. Transfer to a serving platter. Cover and let stand at room temperature for a couple hours before serving.

Serves 4