Forks in the Dirt

Yep, we’re using Zucchini in place of Apples – And it Works! While this is technically a mock apple crisp, I think I’ll start referring to this as Zapple Crisp 😉

I admit, I was VERY skeptical of this recipe at first. I mean zucchini can’t do everything… but they make an outstanding substitute for apple chunks in this crisp. It really does come down to texture and spices. And this mock apple crisp using zucchini hits the sweet spot.

Only after I told my son it wasn’t apples, and that he was in fact eating zucchini did he realize it. And as I had all my taste buds fired up, I could tell that there was a little less apple zing the first time, so I added more lemon juice the second time and I think that this is about as close to apple crisp without the apples as you can get. Of course all the warm fall spices MAKE this what it is, and the flavors are like coming home.

This is a recipe exists to fill a very specific time frame- for when the garden is still giving you boatloads of zucchini, but fall is in the air… you haven’t made it to an apple orchard yet, and those first apples are so perfectly crisp and crunchy you couldn’t imagine baking them… that is when this recipe is perfection.

I’ve also baked it in my ninja tabletop toaster oven so it didn’t heat up the house. Fabulous for end of summer transitioning to fall flavors.

Mock Apple Crisp Recipe

Ingredients

Zucchini Filling

• 6 cups chopped zucchini
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 1+½ Tbsp Lemon Juice
• ¼  tsp nutmeg
• ¼  tsp ginger
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1+½ tsp cream of tartar
• 1 pinch of Salt
• ¾ C granulated sugar (can use up to half brown sugar)

Crisp Topping

• ¾ C packed brown sugar
• ¾ C flour
• ¾ C oats (can grind in blender for smoother consistency)
• ½ C cold butter

Instructions

Prepare Zucchini. For all but the smallest zucchini, peel and remove seeds, chop into apple size chunks.

Place the 6 cups of chopped zucchini with a dash of water into a deep skillet and cook for 10 minutes, letting chucks start to turn translucent. Drain completely, I usually pour into a strainer. Then add cooked zucchini back to skillet (or a bowl) and add flour, lemon juice, and rest of ingredients for the filling and mix well.

Pour into your pan of choice, a 9” pie pan or a 2 quart (7”x11”) baking dish work great.

Preheat oven to 350F

Mix together crisp topping ingredients, cutting in the butter with a pastry cutter/blender makes this step easier.

Add crisp topping to cover the mock apple filling.

Bake for 45 minutes until the zucchini is cooked and the top is golden and bubbly.

Wait for it to cool, and dig in- I mean it resembles apple crisp to closely that there are literally no hints in the appearance that this is actually zucchini!

Happy hanging onto summer friends!

Dig In,
Michelle

Plant relationships have evolved together to help maintain ecosystem health, and this is especially true under the soil. We can practice companion planting to grow more resilient gardens.

At its core, companion planting is the practice of planting different plant species together for their mutual benefits. It’s all about understanding a plant’s needs and gifts so we can help them share resources and boost harvests.

*This is part of an award winning article originally published in Fall 2025
Northern Gardener Magazine*

Companion Planting Benefits

• Healthier Soil
• Suppressed Weeds
• Balanced Pests + Diseases
• Increased Beneficial Insects
• Increased Harvests

Modern companion planting focuses on planting biodiversity. Beware simple companion planting equations of A + B = C. Nature is too sophisticated and raucous a partner to play by such simple human inventions. Luckily, scientific research continues to increase and begs to be put into action in our gardens. However, each garden is made up of infinitely diverse relationships, so observation in your own space is always best.

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I know August can feel overwhelming for organic gardeners, because pests and diseases have likely found your plants, weeds are growing faster than anything else and weather can throw up roadblocks to the most dedicated gardeners.

Faced with all the August garden tasks, many of us feel like throwing in the towel – because we’re also having to harvest, cook with and preserve all the abundance that we planned for.

This time of the summer is when the pace of modern life (kids’ sports, fun events, friends and family) and trying to ‘get it all in’ before school starts again collides with spending time in the garden. It is a  reminder of how farmers ad people tied more closely to the land and seasons have probably always felt- but for them it was a matter of survival to harvest and preserve as much as possible.

For almost all of us today, that is not the case.

So, let’s take a breath and lay out a plan so that, come mid-winter we can look back on this time with pride, over a meal with veggies from the garden.

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As you start growing more of your own fresh produce you realize pretty quickly that early spring lettuces bolt by July and leave you longing for something green, crisp, and light to add to your salad bowl during the hottest part of summer.

But there are some obvious reasons to skip buying lettuce at the grocery store.

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In nature, pioneer species (like lichens, crabgrass, or dandelions) sacrifice themselves to build the future. They break down rock, fix nitrogen, and accumulate organic matter. When they die out because other species move in, they leave behind rich, deep topsoil so that forests, prairies, and other stable climax communities can thrive.

America’s expansion on the continent has flipped this script, at least so far.

But I see change happening and hope rising all around me as people realize the they are part of nature.

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Grow Your Own Groceries + Take Back Control

Between unpredictable grocery prices and supply chain hiccups, it’s easy to feel a bit powerless when walking through the supermarket aisles. But what if the ultimate security system wasn’t something you bought, but something you grew? Growing your own food doesn’t have to be complicated, and you don’t need to grow everything. Just start with something!

Taking back your power starts with planting a few plants, using whatever space you have.

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A recipe with two ingredients a little time in the dehydrator with a big pay off: rhubarb sour candy from the garden!

These taste like if Sour Patch® had a kid with simple ingredients + kept the fiber. I like the big flavor coupled with the little chew. I get to help out at our local elementary school, and the kids go crazy for them every year!

It is a great, simple way to use up some of the rhubarb and not make yet another crisp… but if you’re looking for tips on growing rhubarb or other recipes, I have you covered.

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