>We have a bumper crop this year. I have about four cups of grated zucchini in the fridge waiting to be turned into cake or bread or some other sort of goodie. I nearly turned away La Petite’s boyfriend Saturday when he walked up the driveway carrying two large zucchini and a couple of banana peppers. So here we go: a few ways, some real and some not, to get rid of the excess. Feel free to suggest more! I have at least three growing in the garden jungle even as we speak.

10. Give them away to neighbors and friends.

9. Give them to relatives.

8. Place a few on the neighbor’s front porch, then ring the doorbell and run away.

7. Grate a little into spaghetti sauce. Stew. Soup.

6. Go to the farmer’s market and sneak yours onto the vendors’ tables when they’re not looking.

5. Grate some for the freezer. You’ll love it in January.

4. Feed some to the rabbits, wild or pet.

3. Convince the neighborhood kids to use a big one as a baseball bat.

2. When someone tries to give you a zucchini, insist they take two tomatoes in trade.

1. Offer a zucchini “free with purchase” at your rummage sale.