4 Recipes for Your Abundant Zucchini and Cucumber Harvests

Growing Joy with Plants - Wellness Rooted in Nature, Houseplants, Gardening and Plant Care

Maria Failla- Happy Plant Lady and Author of Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness

Education, Wellness, Gardening, Leisure, Eco Therapy, Nature Therapy, Self Care, Health & Fitness, Houseplants, How To, Home & Garden, Mental Health, Plants

4.8 • 912 Ratings

🗓️ 5 August 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

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 cookbookMentioned in our conversation:There’s Always Room at the Table by Kaleb Wyse'Incredible Escalator' Climbing Zucchini – Renee's GardenFor Kaleb's easy yet delicious zucchini recipes,check out the full show notes and blog here!Follow Kaleb:WebsiteInstagramTikTokYouTubeFacebookXThank you to our episode sponsor:Espoma OrganicVisit espoma.com to find your local Espoma dealer or check my Amazon storefront. Follow Maria and Growing Joy:Order my book: Growing Joy: The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness (and Plants) by Maria Failla, Illustrated by Samantha LeungJoin the Bloom and Grow Garden Party Community Platform & App AKA the plantiest and kindest corner of the internet! Get your FREE 2-week trial here!Take the Plant Parent Personality Quiz (Get the perfect plants, projects and educational resources for YOUR Lifestyle)Support Bloom and Grow Radio by becoming a Plant Friend on Patreon!Instagram: @growingjoywithmariaTiktok: @growingjoywithmariaSubscribe to the Growing Joy Youtube channel! /growingjoywithmariaWebsite: www.growingjoywithmaria.comPinterest: @growingjoywithmaria

Transcript

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0:00.0	If you're looking at your 27th or maybe 50th zucchini that you've harvested this summer, asking
0:05.2	yourself, what else can I make with this? You can only have roasted zucchini so many times.
0:11.6	This episode is made for you, plant friends, with one of my favorite people on the internet,
0:17.8	one of my favorite plant friends who's now casually a New York Times best-selling author, Caleb Wise of Wise Guide.
0:26.0	You probably follow him on Instagram or socials.
0:29.1	Caleb is the definition of a modern homesteader.
0:31.3	He's a gardener.
0:32.2	He's a cook.
0:32.8	He's a storyteller.
0:34.0	He shares simple, joyful living from his gorgeous home in Iowa. And now he has this New York
0:40.9	Times bestselling cookbook called Always Room at the Table. And when I was reading it, I knew that I needed
0:46.6	to do an episode with him on zucchini because it is the plight of the gardener at the end of our gardening
0:51.7	seasons. We have too many zucchinis. But in addition to
0:55.4	amazing zucchini recipes for you to try out with your garden harvests, this conversation with Caleb,
1:00.4	it's really just full of warmth and wisdom and inspiration for anyone looking to deepen their
1:06.3	connection with their garden and their kitchen and ultimately their stomachs.
1:15.5	So you might need a snack while you listen to this episode because we talk about food a lot and it's going to make you a little hungry.
1:17.2	Welcome.
1:22.1	Welcome to the Growing Joy with Plants podcast, where we not only learn how to care for plants successfully,
1:29.7	but how to simply and affordably use our plant babies to cultivate more joy in our lives by doing so.
1:35.7	I'm Maria, former plant killer turned happy plant lady, author of Growing Joy, The Plant Lover's Guide to Cultivating Happiness,
1:42.2	speaker, podcaster, and most importantly, your
	...

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