Zucchini time, it appears, is upon us. In the course of a little over 48 hours last week I was gifted with five quite large specimens. I added these to the two that I had already purchased from the farm market and wondered how and why it is that nature finds the states of either/or to be so amusing. My own plants have only the tiniest little fruits - having lost the first blooms to an unknown nibbler - so it's with only the smallest amount of sighing that I approached my gifts this weekend. Luckily, we don't find anything particularly off-putting about a large zucchini and find them just as delicious as their smaller siblings.

The first thing I do when faced with a zucchini (or yellow squash) glut is grate and freeze a number of them. They'll add fiber and color to winter muffins (or pancakes or quick breads), and the abundant juice they give off after thawing can be combined with whatever liquids called for in a recipe - not an unhandy thing.

For day to day enjoyment, I stick to the usual suspects - raw spears dipped in peanut butter, stir fries and sautés in combination with whatever else is available, coins coated in cornmeal and fried, battered oven "fries" and fritters. It's not a huge repertoire as these things go, but it works and by the time we can't face any of them again the zucchinis are gone and we're on to getting sick of something else.

The last of the list, fritters, are particularly nice. They're quick to make and can take on whatever condiments you have around - I like a nice homemade mayo or salsa, but regular old ketchup is perfectly fine.

The recipe is sort of along the lines of "mix all this stuff together and then cook it" - but in a good way - and so is easy and quick if you get everything ready before you start to actually cook. Get yourself a pound or so of zucchini and grate it (on a box grater or with a food processor) and mix in a teaspoon of both salt and pepper, a chopped garlic clove, and maybe a few tablespoons of something herby - parsley is nice, and so is fresh thyme or maybe bit of rosemary (but not a lot, perhaps mixed with something else?). Mix it all together and add in two eggs, lightly beaten, and 1/3 to 1/2 a cup of all-purpose flour. Be sure to mix the flour in very well, and smoosh up any lumps. Heat two tablespoons of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot enough to sizzle the zucchini mixture, drop 2 tablespoons of it into the pan, leaving an inch or so in between fritters. Cook 2 to 4 minutes on each side (until golden), turning carefully. When completely done, remove to a warm plate. You may need to add more oil to the pan in small amounts as you work through the remaining mixture.