How well do you know your zucchini?

As we prepare to celebrate National Zucchini Day on August 8, we wondered how well you know your zucchini so we rounded up some fun zucchini facts and offer some recipes you can use Arizona zucchini in!

Zucchini is one of the most popular (and seemingly abundant) of the summer squashes alongside its cousin, the yellow squash. Zucchini is great grilled, breaded and pan fried, baked, tossed raw in salads, cooked with marinara sauce and tossed over pasta or simply eaten raw out of hand or in a sandwich. Zucchini is also used in zucchini bread!

Did you know?

• The flower of the zucchini plant is edible?
• One zucchini has only 25 calories? (A baked potato has 130)
• Vitamins and nutrients found in a zucchini can help prevent cancer and heart disease (according to the World’s Healthiest Foods Nutrition information)
• The world’s biggest zucchini was close to 70 inches long and weighed 65 pounds. It was grown by Bernard Lavery of the UK.
• There is a band from Saratoga Springs, NY called the Zucchini Brothers and they perform songs for children
• The word “zucchini” comes from the Italian word for squash, “Zucca.”
• A zucchini has more potassium than a banana.
• Every August the town of Obetz, Ohio hosts an Annual Zucchini Fest.

Try this healthy recipe offered an Arizona Farmer, Kelly Saxer, of Desert Roots Farm.

Sweet Potato & Zucchini Frittata

1 peeled sweet potato sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

4 garlic cloves, minced,

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 thinly sliced onion

1 large zucchini sliced into ½ inch thick rounds

1 tbsp chopped marjoram or 1 tsp dried

4 eggs

½ cup cottage cheese at room temperature or 8 oz cream cheese

¼ tsp ground black pepper

1 cup of milk

½ cup grated smoked cheddar

Directions: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Oil 8×8 baking dish. In a large bowl mix together sweet potatoes, 2 cloves of garlic, 1/2 salt and 1+1/2 tbsp of oil until evenly coated. Spread in a single layer on an un-oiled baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes, until tender. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1+1/2 tbsp of oil in a large skillet and saute the onions with the rest of the garlic and salt until the onions have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the zucchini and marjoram and saute until the zucchini rounds are soft and golden brown, about 10 minutes. When the sweet potatoes are tender and brown, remove them from the oven and set aside. Lower the oven temperature to 350. In a blender, puree the eggs, cottage cheese, pepper and milk to make a smooth custard. Layer the roasted sweet potatoes in the baking dish and spread the sauteed zucchini on top. Evenly sprinkle on the cheese reserving a little, then pour the custard over and top with the remaining cheese. Bake 40-45 minutes, until browned and firm. Serve hot.