We tried to grow zucchini last year. At first, the plant grew tall and mighty, with big, orange flowers that opened wide each morning and closed just in time to escape the afternoon heat.

But my dreams of a summer of squash quickly soured when the zucchini plant fell over and started to mold. We didn’t get one single squash from those flowers.

While planning this year’s garden, the hubs and I decided to give zucchini one more try and set aside two precious square-feet for the plant. We are a forgiving people.

The plant grew as tall and mighty as last year, and the flowers were just as beautiful, but I wasn’t ready to bask in green-thumb glory yet.

I stared that zucchini down each day, and I was all, ‘Fool me once…” to its pretty little petals.

And then this happened:

look at you grow

zucchini madness

I don’t know if they stayed alive this time around because of something we did differently, or if it was just a mix of good luck plus my threatening stares.

What I do know is that we’ve been eating zucchini like mad this month, and I’ve found a way to eat it that never leaves me feeling squashed out.

Put these zucchini ribbons on your next dinner menu. They’re the perfect summertime vegetable and you can make them in less than 15 minutes.

sautéed zucchini ribbons  

ingredients

• zucchini (I use 1 zucchini/person, depending on its size.)
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

directions
Using a vegetable peeler, peel your zucchini from one end to the other, creating thin slices. Rotate to a new side whenever you reach seeds. Sauté the ribbons on medium heat until zucchini is tender. Season to taste.