Wednesday

zuke gone hawaiian ~

So what do you do with a big overgrown zucchini?  You know what I'm talking about ... that one that grew a foot longer than it should have been ~ even though you just checked the plant yesterday and you KNOW it wasn't there.  Or the big surplus one that your neighbor left on your doorstep when you were gone; but he denies putting it there when you confront him about it?  (I'm on to you Gary, QUIT bringing me your big zucchini and cucumbers ~ I have enough of them in my own garden to contend with).

I've made all the zucchini bread I care to make already this season ... so what to do with this big ol' Zuke besides feed it to the chickens?  I know.... make some pineapple! Mock Pineapple that is ... a recipe given to me many many moons ago by my Aunt Eunice.


Start by peeling off all the green skin.


Next:  Slice that big bugger in half lengthwise and gut out the seeds.
A big spoon works great for this.

I could just toss these into a greased pan with some browned hamburger and rice, top with some marinara sauce and cheese and pop in the oven for an hour and call it supper BUT not today ~ today is pineapple day.  

So ... back on track ... making the mock pineapple:

The next step is cutting the two halves into strips ~ 
then
into diced up chunks ... about the size of chunked pineapple you get in a can from the store

Put the chunked up zucchini into a large enough kettle and add:

1-1/2 Cups of Lemon Juice
3 Cups of Sugar
1 - 46 oz. can of Pineapple Juice
(minus the glass of juice I poured for myself to drink)
Put it on the stove ... medium heat ... bring to a boil ... turn down and simmer for 20 minutes.
 Oh my gosh ... talk about aromatherapy when this is cooking.  My kitchen smells divine!  If I could bottle up that smell and make it into perfume I'd be stinking rich!

After the 20 minute simmer ...

Ladle into pint jars.  Add your lids and rings ... hot water bath for another 20 minutes.

Wah Lah!!
~ Mock Pineapple ~
 You use it in recipes wherever you would have used the canned pineapple purchased from the store.  No one will be the wiser.  It's great in a pineapple upside down cake :)

Out of that one big zucchini I got 6 pint jars of mock pineapple.  

Until next time ...
So it goes in my neck of the woods.
~mel




11 comments:

  1. Whoa there Mel for a minute I thought you had poured yourself a stronger drink. Never heard of this mock pineapple but I used to make a mock apple pie and it tasted like the real thing.

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  2. You've given the quote "waste not, want not" a whole new meaning.

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  3. Spunds most interesting. Now if only someone would give me a zucchini I could try it out.

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  4. That should read ... SOUNDS most interesting!

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  5. Well I'll be darned. That sounds really good. Never in all my years have I heard of such a thing. MOCK pineapple.

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  6. Man, I completely forgot about this recipe. I have the same one from the same sweet departed Aunt, in my recipe file.....somewhere. Yours looks terrific. So when, did you say, the upside down pineapple cake would be done?
    Have you ever made mock pickle relish with zucchini? It's great too.
    BlessYa

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  7. NO WAY!!! That is too cool! I feel like I've been living in a hole. Ok, and I was totally laughing abotu the foot longer than it should have been comment. That was totally me yesterday. i was like, are you serious?! How did you get ginormous in one blasted day!

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  8. I am beat and Sherry tells me about Dar's entry. Before I turn around (to enjoy my new pains and soreness) She says you gotta read Mel, She is turning Zukes into Pineapple.

    Great entry and an amazing thing, U B so stinking smart. I met a Botanist on the trail yesterday and told Him (in a nice way) that I knew girls in the North Woods smarter than

    Love you cute girl, Sherry says hi.

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  9. That last part was supposed to say "Smarter than he."
    Love I B Tard. hahahahahaah

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  10. This is the best recipe for large squash that I've ever read. If our garden season wasn't over, I'd give this a try. Thanks for sharing this helpful handy recipe. :)

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  11. The best mock pineapple zucchini recipe I've seen. Clear measurements and instructions. Another recipe called for unsweetened pineapple juice so I'm using it but that recipe's measurements and directions were awful. I'm making iyours now! Thanks.

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