Weekend Gathering No. 6
The Jersey Nonna
We’ve arrived at about mid-summer, and it’s already given us a bit of everything — storms, heat waves, and those awesome, absolutely #10 days in between. Thoughts are starting to turn toward grabbing the last of vacation time, back-to-school planning, and enjoying the very best of what this season’s produce has to offer.
I’m relishing all of it. The eating right now is so easy, so light — I genuinely wish I could carry it into the colder months.
And then, earlier today, wandering through the supermarket, I got stopped cold by a display of Halloween candy. Halloween. Already. I mean — can you believe it?
Enough of that. I’m leaving myself to enjoy the rest of my summer, and I invite you to do the same.
Farm Stand Report
This weekend’s visit to the local farm stand told its own late-summer story. It’s a small suburban plot with a history worth knowing — the farmer worked this same land as a kid, years before he was ever able to buy it from its original owner. Now this farmer and his wife have taken it over, and the business is thriving in a way that’s genuinely heartening to watch.
The produce itself is starting to thin out. Strawberries were scarce and surprisingly expensive. Zucchini is still going strong (no surprise there). Corn — both white and bicolor — is beginning to slow down. Salad greens were thin on the ground too, which tracks with everyone’s continued caution around the ongoing bacterial contamination concerns. On the other end, basil is absolutely overflowing, and fruit bushes were on sale for anyone thinking ahead to fall planting.
But the real standout this week wasn’t produce at all — it was the farm itself. This little cottage operation has grown into something more: a general store, a petting zoo, a birthday patio, tractor rides. Saturday morning had it overflowing with young families, kids everywhere, the whole place buzzing. And threaded through all of it, zinnias in an absolute profusion of color — the kind of abundance that stops you for a second on your way to the car.
The Weekend Menu
Friday — Happy Hour
Elderflower Spritz (or a gin and tonic with basil)
Shaved Raw Zucchini Salad — lemon, Parmesan, cracked pepper, served as a light bite
Saturday — The Full Table
Heirloom Tomato and Burrata Platter, basil and good olive oil
Grilled Herb Chicken (or swordfish)
Shaved Raw Zucchini & Mint Salad — mint-feta variation
Grilled Corn with lime and Parmesan
Crusty Bread, olive oil for dipping
Sunday — Slow Morning to Simple Supper
Iced Peach or Lemon Tea
Chilled Zucchini and Basil Soup (Featured Recipe)
Nonna’s Zucchini Fudge Loaf with Simple Glaze (dessert)
Featured Recipe: Chilled Zucchini and Basil Soup
Nonna’s Note: This is the kind of recipe that came from not wanting to turn the stove on in August — a “use what’s too much of it” soup, meant to be made ahead and pulled from the fridge cold, no fuss. A good use for the zucchini nobody claimed from the counter pile.
Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups zucchini, roughly chopped (about 3-4 medium)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup fresh basil leaves, packed
½ cup plain yogurt or light cream
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and cracked pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for finishing
Extra basil leaves, for garnish
Method
Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
Add chopped zucchini and broth. Bring to a simmer and cook until the zucchini is fork-tender, about 10-12 minutes.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in the basil leaves while the mixture is still warm — this helps the basil blend smoothly and keeps its bright color.
Transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend until completely smooth.
Stir in yogurt or cream and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Chill for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, before serving.
Serve cold, finished with a drizzle of good olive oil and a few fresh basil leaves on top.
Shoppable List
Zucchini (several, mixed sizes)
Fresh mint
Feta cheese
Lemons
Parmesan
Fresh basil
Heirloom tomatoes
Burrata
Corn
Chicken or swordfish
Crusty bread
Olive oil
Plain yogurt or light cream (soup base)
Vegetable or chicken broth
Onion and garlic
Dutch-process cocoa powder
Madagascar vanilla extract
Sour cream
Instant espresso powder
Eggs
All-purpose flour
Granulated and light brown sugar
Vegetable oil or butter
Powdered sugar and milk (glaze)
Looking for more ways to use up your zucchini overflow? A full zucchini-forward collection is in the works — more to come.
Nonna’s Notebook: The Zucchini That Wouldn’t Quit
Everyone thinks bigger is better with zucchini. Let one go a few extra days on the vine and you’re not harvesting a vegetable anymore — you’re pulling out something that belongs in a Flintstones cartoon, a club Fred could sling over his shoulder.
Which is exactly what happened in my house. A family member walked in recently, practically glowing, holding out a genuine club of a zucchini — a gift, proudly delivered, from a “gentleman farmer” he’d met somewhere along the way. I took it the way you take these things. Gratefully. And with the faint sense of what I was in for.
Because that’s the trap of zucchini. It’s the easiest thing in the world to grow — it was actually our first real gardening success with the kids, because it forgives almost everything. Low maintenance, practically no attention required, and prolific almost to a fault. Which is exactly the problem.
Then comes the overflow. The dreaded overflow.
I don’t like to waste what I’m given, so I got to work. A chocolate chip zucchini loaf. A sautéed zucchini and yellow squash side, just the two of them together in a pan. A zucchini and corn salad, bright and simple. One by one, I worked that club of a zucchini down to nothing.
And I mean nothing — I had just finished the very last of it, feeling rather accomplished, when he walked back in.
With another one.
Here we go again.
So when I saw a chef on TV make a chocolate cake with zucchini folded into it, something clicked. Aha. Maybe. Because here’s the thing about my house: I have eaters who will not touch a food if they know what’s in it — and it doesn’t meet with their approval, or it’s not a brand they trust, or it just looks suspicious in that particular way kids and picky adults decide things look suspicious. So I did what any Nonna worth her salt would do. I got quiet about it.
Cocoa. Zucchini. Chocolate chips. And a secret ingredient I’m not giving up here — you’ll have to make the recipe below to find out. I baked a loaf, sliced it simply, and said nothing. Not a word. Just a plate of chocolate loaf set out like it was any other treat.
Nobody asked. Nobody suspected. Nobody knew the difference.
And to this day? That is my story, and I’m sticking to it.
(Recipe for Nonna’s Zucchini Fudge Loaf with Simple Glaze below — the secret ingredient included.)
Nonna’s Zucchini Fudge Loaf with Simple Glaze
The secret’s in the espresso — nobody will ever guess.
Ingredients
1½ cups shredded zucchini, lightly squeezed of excess moisture
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1–2 tsp instant espresso powder (dissolve into the wet ingredients)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil or melted butter
¼ cup sour cream
1 tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
Simple Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2–3 tbsp milk
½ tsp Madagascar vanilla extract
Method
Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line a standard 9x5-inch loaf pan.
Whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl.
In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, both sugars, oil, sour cream, vanilla, and the dissolved espresso powder until smooth.
Fold the dry ingredients into the wet just until combined — don’t overmix.
Fold in the shredded zucchini last, gently, until evenly distributed.
Pour into the prepared pan and bake 50–60 minutes, until a toothpick comes out mostly clean (a few moist crumbs are fine — this is meant to stay fudgy).
Cool completely in the pan before glazing.
Whisk glaze ingredients until smooth and drizzle over the cooled loaf. Slice and serve without a word.
Nonna’s Note: This is a one-bowl kind of loaf — nothing fussy, nothing that needs a stand mixer. Sour cream keeps it tender for days. And yes, the espresso powder is doing exactly what you think it’s doing — deepening the chocolate without anyone ever tasting coffee.
Around the House: My Go-To Tools for Zucchini Season
A few simple tools do most of the work once zucchini starts piling up:
A wide-mouth peeler — creates thin, even ribbons of zucchini (also works beautifully on cucumbers, yellow squash, or carrots)
A mandoline — same effect, much faster, especially useful when you’re working through a whole club-sized zucchini at once
A spiralizer — a fun twist of the handle turns zucchini into thin, spaghetti-like threads, and cleanup afterward is genuinely easy
The spiralizer is my favorite trick on a hot summer night, when a real bowl of pasta feels like too much. Zoodles cook fast — the biggest mistake is treating them like real pasta and boiling them, which turns them watery and limp in minutes. Instead: heat a splash of olive oil and a few pats of butter together in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until the butter is melted and just starting to foam. Add the spiralized zucchini and toss constantly for 1–2 minutes, just until bright green and slightly tender, still with a little bite. Off the heat, season immediately with cracked pepper and sea salt, then toss with a generous shave of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Serve right away — zoodles don’t hold well.
Nonna’s Note: If your zucchini “noodles” seem watery after spiralizing, salt them lightly and let them sit in a colander for 10 minutes first, then pat dry before cooking. That one step makes the difference between a light dish and a soupy one.
A caprese salad on the side, a glass of chilled white wine, and dinner is done.
Weekend Kitchen Planner
Friday
Shave zucchini for the happy hour salad
Mix the evening’s drink
Saturday
Grill the protein and corn
Assemble the tomato and burrata platter
Shave zucchini for the mint-feta salad
Sunday
Bake the fudge loaf in the morning so it has time to cool before glazing
The soup can be made ahead and chilled — just stir and garnish before serving
Worth Keeping
The joy on a child’s face at a Saturday morning tractor ride costs nothing and lasts longer than almost anything you can buy. Some of the best traditions aren’t handed down — they’re just a farm stand, a petting zoo, and a family who showed up.
Before You Go
I’ve noticed something this summer — the frenzy of activity, the must-do’s, aren’t crowding in the way they usually do. I’ve taken to having my coffee with my dog in the early morning, before everyone’s up and the day is fully underway. I like sitting among my veggie, herb, and flower containers, checking in on how they’re doing, deadheading a bit here and there. Just tending.
Being attentive to tending.
Everything doesn’t have to be a big, grand doing. Small doings are good too. For me, they’re calming — I can feel my breathing slow down, I notice more as I take the time to actually see things, and I find myself more appreciative without trying to be. That wasn’t the plan. It’s kind of serendipitous how this has happened.
I like it. I hope you’re finding it too.
The Jersey Nonna — Weekend Gathering No. 6
