Growing in popularity
Searches for recipes trended last year on East Coast
Want to get more veggies into your diet in unique ways and dreaming of planting a garden soon?
Zucchini might be the answer to both.
According to Google Trends, the top food item people in Nova Scotia were searching for in 2021 were ways to stuff a zucchini.
Brianna Kean, of Pictou County, is an in-store dietitian with Atlantic SuperStore who covers the New Glasgow, Antigonish, and Port Hawkesbury stores. She said she feels there are a few reasons why stuffed zucchini recipes might be trending lately.
“I think a lot of people, especially over the last year of the pandemic, have been trying to make a shift towards more health-conscious decisions, and are trying to eat more fruits and vegetables,” she says.
“It makes sense that people are looking for new, fun ways to prepare their veggies.”
This may be a case where social media has driven interest – it’s well known that Instagram, Facebook, TikTok and other platforms have a huge impact on food trends.
In recent years, for example, the humble zucchini has soared to popularity as zoodles – spiral cutting the veggie to be used as a low-carb pasta substitute.
It only makes sense that zucchini fans would look for other ways to use it. Stuffing them – a new spin on longtime favourites like stuffed peppers – would be a natural fit.
“Depending on what counts we follow or interact with, many Nova Scotians are likely seeing stuffed zucchini all over their news feeds,” Kean adds.
WHY ZUCCHINI?
When asked about the nutritional benefits of zucchini, Kean says the vegetable is packed full of nutrients.
“Like a lot of non-starchy vegetables, zucchini provides little in terms of protein, fat, or carbohydrate, but it is a great source of several micronutrients, especially vitamin C and vitamin B6,” she explains. “vitamin C is important for supporting our immune system and maintaining healthy skin and bones. vitamin B6 helps to facilitate many chemical reactions in the body, including the conversion of food to energy.”
As an added benefit, zucchini is a great alternative for people who are focusing on low-carb eating.
“Stuffed zucchini provides a tasty alternative to more carbohydrate-heavy foods, such as loaded potatoes,” Kean says.
That doesn’t mean carbohydrates should be skipped entirely – they are important parts of our diet, she says, adding, “both starchy and nonstarchy vegetables should have a place on our plates.”
Kean is a fan of using zucchini in baking as well.
“It’s great for boosting nutrients in breakfast muffins and loaves, and gives them a nice, moist, texture,” she says.
A POPULAR SEED
Annapolis Seeds, of Nictaux, is all about promoting local seed saving and the biodiversity of seeds. The company grows a diversity of open-pollinated and heirloom seeds, offering them through its online catalogue.
Owner Owen Bridge says zucchini “are always a very popular seed and definitely an essential one for most East Coast veggie gardens.”
Bridge had some recommendations about which varieties of zucchini are best for stuffing.
“The first variety that comes to mind for stuffing is the Palestinian Kusa. They’re traditionally picked small (when they’re especially tender and delicate) for stuffing and roasting,” he says.
But there are plenty of other ways to enjoy zucchini, he adds.
“Admittedly, my usual go-to method for zucchini is to slice them and sauté them with butter. For that, it’s hard to find a more delicious one than Tromboncino, which are an eccentric, twisty relative to butternut,” Bridge says.
“Although I’m no nutritionist, I personally feel at my best when the bulk of my diet consists of fresh vegetables/ greens. So, when the zucchinis are producing like crazy in late summer through fall, it’s hard
not to eat them every day.”
The Atlantic Canadian climate makes zucchini an easyto-grow option for backyard gardeners, says Karen Murchison, research co-ordinator with the PEI Certified Organic Producers Cooperative in Charlottetown.
Established in 2002, it is composed of organic producers and like-minded consumers who wish to see organic agriculture grow within P.E.I.
“Zucchini grows exceptionally well in our climate and often in the late summer and early fall there is an overabundance of zucchini,” Murchison says. “Perhaps people are looking for unique ways to prepare it.”
STUFFING RECOMMENDATIONS
Choosing the right zucchini to stuff is key, says Bridge.
“The last time we made stuffed zucchini, we picked some small- to medium-sized dark star zucchini, about eight- to 10-inches long, while they’re still very tender,” he said.
“We stuffed them with a mix of quinoa, cooked homegrown dry beans, crushed garlic and zaatar, topped with olive oil and salt.”
Annapolis Seeds office manager Steph Warr’s recommendation is to grow and stuff the patty pans variety.
“Pick them at about three to four inches across, cut out the middle and stuff with crushed garlic, fresh parsley, a blob of pesto, drizzle of olive oil and salt, and bake at 400 until they’re done,” she says.