Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread

With summer in full swing, it won’t be long before gardens are overflowing and we find ourselves frantically trying to keep up with an overload of delicious in-season fruits and vegetables. This recipe for Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread was part of a Yankee New England B&B recipe collection, and comes from the 1794 Watchtide…by the Sea! Inn in Searsport, Maine. We love it because it makes terrific use of summer’s bountiful zucchini, wild Maine blueberries, and tart lemon. Why settle for plain zucchini or blueberry bread when you could combine the two, plus a dose of citrus, and get something even more special?

Zucchini is a summer kitchen staple. Among other things, you can slice it up for use in a stir-fry or kabobs, hollow it out and bake it stuffed with tomatoes and cheese, or shred it for use in zucchini fritters or baked goods like muffins, cakes, and quick breads. When shredding, I like to use my box grater with the largest holes so I’ll get to see plenty of the zucchini in the final product.

Here, shredded zucchini is whisked together with eggs, sugar, oil, fresh lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Then, after the dry ingredients are incorporated, a healthy dose of wild Maine blueberries completes the batter. If you can’t get your hands on any fresh blueberries, the frozen variety works fine. Just be sure to add them while they’re still frozen and don’t stir the batter too much. Over-stirring when using frozen blueberries can cause the berries to “bleed,” giving you purple batter, which will visually drown out the beautiful flecks of green and yellow from the zucchini and lemon zest.

Because my loaf pan is a little larger than most, I made one loaf and a half-dozen muffins with my batter. Look at all those beautiful berries and bits of zucchini and lemon!

While it’s sweet enough to eat on its own, a warm slice topped with a little butter is summer quick-bread perfection, and since this recipe makes enough to share, you can either give the extra loaf to a friend or freeze it for later.

What’s your favorite way to use up summer produce?

Get the Recipe: Lemon Blueberry Zucchini Bread Recipe

This post was first published in 2014 and has been updated.

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Aimee Tucker

Aimee Tucker is Yankee’s senior digital editor. A lifelong New Englander and Yankee contributor since 2010, Aimee has written columns devoted to history, foliage, retro food, and architecture, and regularly shares her experiences in New England travel, home, and gardening. Her most memorable Yankee experiences to date include meeting Stephen King, singing along to a James Taylor Fourth of July concert at Tanglewood, and taking to the skies in the Hood blimp for an open-air tour of the Massachusetts coastline.

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