4 Recipes for Your Abundant Zucchini and Cucumber Harvests

Author: Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness
Published: Tue 05 Aug 2025
Episode Link: www.growingjoywithmaria.com/podcast

Are you looking at your basket filled with zucchini (and cucumbers) that you’ve harvested this summer? You might also be wondering what you can do with them because there’s only so much roasted zucchini and pickled cucumber one person can take. You’re in the perfect place, because in this episode, I invited one of my favorite plant people, Kaleb Wyse of Wyse Guide. Kaleb’s a modern homesteader, gardener, storyteller, and now a New York Times bestselling cookbook author!

He joined us to chat about all the ways to actually enjoy your zucchini harvests aside from your typical zoodles! These four recipes are from Kaleb’s book There’s Always Room at the Table, and they’re flavorful, comforting, and super doable. Time to cook!

In this episode, we learn:

[03:50] Meet Kaleb Wyse from Wyse Guide
[05:44] What type of gardener is Kaleb?
[06:18] Zone 5B growing conditions
[09:02] How can you find boundaries in your gardening practice?
[10:16] Kaleb's #1 advice for new gardeners
[12:21] My Floridian challenges!
[15:21] Revive your garden's late-season growth with Espoma Organic’s high-quality products!
[16:20] Kaleb’s gardening philosophy and childhood stories
[19:48] Zucchini growing tips: when and how to plant
[21:45] Eating zucchini flowers (stuffed with goat cheese)
[22:27] Growing zucchini on the ground vs. trellising?
[24:05] The inspiration behind his cookbook, ‘There’s Always Room at the Table’?
[26:55] What is Kaleb’s favorite zucchini recipe?
[28:31] How to prevent zucchini from going mushy
[29:36] More zucchini recipes!
[32:42] Using dill flower heads for pickling
[33:53] Quick pickle vs. normal pickle
[35:09] Zucchini dip as a sandwich spread
[36:16] Zucchini fritters recipe
[38:37] Does Kaleb grow his own garlic?
[39:42] Fermenting garlic and honey for health and flavor
[40:56] Zucchini loaf cake recipe
[44:27] Where to follow Kaleb and get his cookbook