Vintage Eats Recipe: 1980 Zucchini Lemon Bars

It’s that time of year when everyone is wondering what to do with all of their zucchini.

When I was newly married, gardeners would bring zucchini to church, along with tomatoes, to share with anyone who wanted them. Not being a gardener, I would take one and chop it finely by hand to make an item my farmer husband grew up with and adored: Zucchini Bread or what he liked to call simply “Z Bread.”

This is one of those vegetables that is so versatile. It can be used in breads, muffins, cakes, pies, vegetable dishes, meat dishes and more.

One of my favorite ways to eat zucchini is sauteing slices in a pan in a tablespoon of butter. When it is slightly browned, I add soy sauce. Of course, other vegetables can be added, but the zucchini are great on their own.

But there is nothing like baking with zucchini. My husband’s mother made it from her ample garden and their large family apparently ate it with great gusto. This quick bread recipe was relished for its moistness and warm flavors such as cinnamon and allspice.

This recipe for Zucchini Lemon Bars has a close resemblance to that quick bread, although I think it more closely resembles cake. This recipe is very delicious, one of the best I’ve made from a baked zucchini item. The slight lemon taste made it above the usual zucchini cake standard. Yum!

I prefer to eat it without icing, although the recipe called for it so I applied it.

The recipe can be found in “Family Favorites, Recipes from Norris Chapel United Methodist Church, Auburn IN.” The spiral-bound cookbook has 214 pages filled with recipes which were contributed by members of the church. No date is listed, but from the appearance of the cover, I’d guess it was printed in the 1980s.

I shared cake slices with family and friends, including neighbors I had yet to meet. Sweetness is always a good calling card, I think.

The recipe is simple and accurate so I have few notes to share:

1. Shred the zucchini without peel on in chunks in a food processor.
2. Lemon zest is a good substitute for lemon rinds. I used freshly squeeze lemon juice from the same lemons.
3. Deleting the nuts saves money with no adverse effect on flavor or texture.
4. It is delicious with no icing.

What is your favorite zucchini recipe? Do you grow your own or get them from friends/ the grocery/ farmer’s market?

Enjoy!

**

3 eggs

1-¼ cups sugar

1 cup oil

¼ cup lemon juice

2 teaspoons lemon rinds

1-¾ cups zucchini, shredded

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 cup nuts (opt)

Mix all ingredients together.

Put into 9”x13” pan covered with parchment paper.

Bake 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees.

Spread on cream cheese icing when cool:

1 8-ounce carton cream cheese

¼ cup margarine

2 teaspoons vanilla

16 ounces powdered sugar

Mix all together at high speed for 2-3 minutes or until smooth.

Yield: 20 servings