Zucchini Bread

I will abundantly bless her provision:
I will satisfy her poor with bread.
Psalm 132:15

Not by works of righteousness which we have done,
but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration,
and renewing of the Holy Ghost;
which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ
our Saviour.
Titus 3:5,6

One summer, I had the brilliant idea to plant a garden in our back yard. Brian prepared the soil for us and put some railroad ties around the garden plot. We planted the usual things that grow quickly such as radishes, but also planted two or three other things. At one end I fixed some mounds in which I planted zucchini seeds. Our garden came along pretty well. We had to be gone on vacation for one week and when we arrived home, we were sick to find that some neighborhood boys had pulled up our green bean plants.

The boys had left the zucchini plants in place. I often looked back wishing they had done something with those instead of the green beans. I was such a beginner and didn't realize I had planted monster plants. We had zucchini growing...and growing...and GROWING...to the point of being almost frightening. For one thing, we weren't big zucchini eaters and we had these vegetables growing not just in quantity, but the longer they were on the vine, the larger each zucchini grew. Those things got to be huge.

Recently, a dear friend in my church brought me some lovely vegetables from her garden. She brought tomatoes, yellow squash and a large zucchini squash. I smiled when I saw it because it struck a memory chord in my mind. However, when I saw it, I knew immediately what I was going to do with it. I did what we did so many years ago.

Those many years ago, our girls were at least around junior high age and our son not that far behind. A dear lady had given me a recipe for Zucchini Bread. We had a nice freezer in the garage...aha...zucchini bread. Each of us had an assigned thing to do in this process. A high school girl was visiting with us so we put her to work as well. I think we ended up with about 25 loaves of zucchini bread in our freezer. Some of them I gave to friends at holiday times, but as a family, we have never tired of zucchini bread.

I often wonder when my children are in a grocery store and pass by zucchini in the produce section if it conjures up memories of those torturous days of grinding, stirring and baking on very warm summer days. But, at the same time, do they still remember the sweet smell in the house of those days gone by.

As much as we had an abundance of zucchini back then, I'm often reminded of the abundance of things God pours into our lives. He doesn't just give us small dribbles of blessings. Everything we are and have are from Him. So often we don't count the blessings God gives us day after day that we just take for granted. It seems there are some days, God's blessings come in such abundance that I almost want to ask Him so slow down a little as I'm feeling overwhelmed with His goodness. Just as the zucchini kept coming, I was reminded that the goodness of God keeps coming as well. It seems those blessings get bigger and bigger to the point I don't know what to do with it all.

I look back and am grateful for what I learned from the zucchini crop in our garden. It all kept coming and coming just as God's goodness does in other ways as well. On our worst day, God's love keeps coming even when we don't deserve it. It comes in any number of ways and we need to track those blessings and not jam them in a storage place of the mind to be enjoyed later. We are to count our blessings not just at Thanksgiving, but on a daily basis. Like my zucchini that seemed like it would never run out, God's goodness to us will never run out.

In case you happen to have an abundance of zucchini, carrots, sweet potatoes or even rhubarb, here's our family recipe to help with that abundance if you are in to baking. Enjoy!

ZUCCHINI BREAD
Heat oven – 350
Grease & flour 2 loaf pans
Bake 1 hour 15 minutes

In large bowl, mix:
3 eggs
2 C sugar
2 tsp soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp allspice (can omit)
½ tsp almond extract (important)
1 C salad oil

To mixture, alternate adding flour and zucchini:
Grate 3 cups unpeeled zucchini
3 C flour

When complete add:
1 C raisins
1 C chopped pecans

Bake and enjoy. As well as enjoying the bread, remember our Bread of Life who gives all things to us in abundance.

Thank You Father for Your goodness in my life. Forgive my ingratitude that I will appreciate everything you grow in me with Your abundant touch. I give You all the glory for who You are in my life. In Jesus precious name...Amen