Who doesn’t love homemade pie and cookies? With coronavirus keeping us at home and giving us time to take a break, why not try to bake the flavor of fall?

If you love cooking or just want to make something in the kitchen then get your materials, get you ingredients, and get cooking.

September started with an abundance of zucchinis from my Gigi’s garden, transferred to my Nanny’s hands in the kitchen. One day, my mother, April Martin, my grandmother, Levona Crum, and I, were able to mix it up in the kitchen and produce 10 loaves of zucchini bread, plenty for us, and some for the freezer.

The week before school began, Martin and Crum knew they had to do something with all these zucchinis. For vegetable haters, zucchini bread is surprisingly sweet. It’s a good way to get a serving of vegetables and enjoy a snack. 

We were all having a good time around the kitchen while making some delicious zucchini bread. I had the job of grating and squeezing the lemons . At the end, I had leftover lemon and orange juice. I found an easy recipe for lemonade and had the perfect amount of both. Crum had the job of putting all the ingredients in the mixer and sneaking a few treats every now and then. 

Crum said, “I enjoyed watching April clean up all the dishes (just kidding). I enjoyed smelling the aroma while baking and tasting our new recipes we created.”

Zucchinis are sometimes the garden gift that keeps on giving. When Crum got more zucchinis, she made some of her own orange cranberry pecan zucchini bread and even shared some with others. One or two drops of Doterra lemon oil was kept a secret in the kitchen but it was too tasty not to share. 

Crum said, “I like the orange cranberry pecan zucchini bread because I love the crunch of the pecans and the bittersweet taste of cranberries mixed with orange.”

Martin said, “The best part about baking was the memories we made as a family. I enjoyed thinking about what new creation we could come up with next!”

For me, making zucchini bread with the people I am grateful for is easy and fun. Whenever I am in the kitchen with my grandmother, time flies by so fast. We always have a blast listening to some oldies and dancing to my favorite tunes.

My grandmother always believes in the good there is in the world. She makes a positive impact, spreads joy, and sprinkles kindness wherever she goes. She is very outgoing, determined, and loving. Over quarantine, my family and I have spent a lot of time together and being with them always makes my heart happy. 

“She [Crum] is energetic, lively, fun, loving, caring, and nurturing.” said my cousin Amanda Stine

With the fall season coming in October, the zucchini masters will definitely be stepping it up in the kitchen. Next month there will be homemade pumpkin pie and a zucchini variation with a hint of fall.

Homemade recipe: Lemon blueberry/orange cranberry zucchini bread

Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes 

1. Grate 2 cups of zucchini, Drain, and set aside.

2. Toss 1 pint of clean, dry blueberries in 1 tsp. flour and set aside

3. Measure and mix together.  Then set aside:

• 3 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• ¼ tsp of baking soda

4. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and lemon until well blended. Fold in zucchini then (I hand mix in flour mixture scraping sides and bottom good before I beat with a mixer one or two rounds.)

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup of vegetable oil
• 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of grated lemon rind or 1 tablespoons lemon rind and 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 ¼ cups of sugar

5. Fold in zucchini (I hand mix in flour mixture scraping sides and bottom well.) Then beat the flour mixture with a mixer one or two rounds. Make sure everything is mixed well, but not too much with a mixer or you’ll lose the texture of the zucchini.)

6. Fold in blueberries by hand 

7. Bake in two loaf pans at 350 for 50-60 minutes

Orange/Cranberry/Pecan

1 cup chopped frozen cranberries in place of 2 cups blueberries and add ½ cup chopped pecans. Use orange rind and juice in place of lemon rind and juice. Also can add orange flavoring.