My father-in-law recently shared the bounty of his garden with us which included a few extra-large zucchini; the kind that are longer than my forearm and rival the size of a toddler.

I can’t fault anyone for growing zucchini so large, the vegetable seems to get that way overnight in peak season. The unfortunate part is that when a zucchini reaches that size most of it is now inedible. The skin is tough and the seeds are crunchy, leaving only a small portion of the vegetable left to use with little to no flavor.

With a “blank slate” for flavor, I tried this recipe for mock apple crisp and it did not disappoint! It satisfied our sweet tooth and felt like Fall, but utilized something that was bountifully in-season.

Ingredients

- 1 extra-large zucchini, halved, peeled, deseeded, and sliced (approx 8 cups)

- ¼ cup lemon juice

- ½ cup water

- ½ cup sugar

- 1 Tablespoon cinnamon

- 1 ⅓ cups packed brown sugar

- 1 cup all-purpose flour

- 1 cup oatmeal

- ⅔ cup butter, softened

Directions

Peel, deseed, and slice the zucchini just as you would do with apple slices. Add the sliced zucchini, lemon juice, and water to a large saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Add the sugar and cinnamon and blend until the sugar dissolves. Remove the pan from the heat and pour into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

While the zucchini is cooking, prepare the topping. In a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and butter until crumbly.

Sprinkle the topping over the zucchini and bake at 375 for 50 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream and/or whipped cream.