- (Focus Area) Family
Dehydrated Zucchini Flour
Lynn Pastusak, UC Master Food Preserver Volunteer
I went out of town for four days and came home to massive zucchini!! What was I going to do with these monsters? I hate to throw away good food, especially beautiful home grown food. Then I had an ah ha moment, I could make zucchini flour!
Zucchini flour? What's that? It's mild flavored and gluten-free. That sounds nourishing, I thought, and I can hide it in my recipes! I'd never done it, but it sounded like a fun project and a great way to keep a big zucchini in a small container.
The very first thing to do is make sure all your kitchen supplies and surfaces are scrubbed clean and sanitized. Is there a difference? Absolutely. Find more information here about cleaning, sanitizing and disinfecting. After everything is squeaky clean, scrub the zucchini with a vegetable brush under running cold water. Don't put the zucchini in a sink or bowl full of water. The germs and bacteria will just float around. The running water washes all the bad stuff down the drain.
Then cut the zucchini into manageable sizes and remove the seeds. I used a grapefruit spoon. Its little, sharp, serrated teeth worked perfectly and made the job of scraping out all those seeds and pulp easy.
Next, you will need to decide whether to pare or not to pare the zucchini. If you leave the peel on, the flour will be a bit greener in color. Also, the peel may be bitter. Taste the peel before you pare it and decide what is best for you. The peel was not bitter on my zucchini, but I wanted to see the color and texture difference of my flour. I'll show the results later.
Then, cut the zucchini into workable pieces and grate them using a handheld cheese grater - or if you have a rotary grater or electric grater, it will go a lot faster. I used my electric grater, and it was super fast!
Zucchini holds a lot of moisture. The wetter it is, the longer it will take to dry in the dehydrator so you will want to dry the grated zucchini as much as possible. You can do this by placing the grated zucchini in a colander for about 15 minutes and pressing down on it to squeeze out the liquid or by squeezing the grated zucchini with a potato ricer. Another way, and is how I did it, is to lay some paper towels on a cloth towel; place a layer of grated zucchini on the paper towels; place another layer of paper towels on top of the zucchini; roll the towel up tightly and squish with your hands to absorb the liquid.
After the zucchini has released enough liquid, preheat the dehydrator to 135°.
Place the drained grated zucchini on the dehydrator trays. The pieces are pretty thin, so you don't have to worry about spreading the grated zucchini out sparsely. It's ok if some are overlapping a bit. You might want to stir them gently after a couple hours of drying in case there are some patches not drying as quickly because they are overlapped and stuck together.
Heat the grated zucchini in the dehydrator. The University of Maine Cooperative Extension recommends heating zoodles, which is a type of grated zucchini, at 135° until the zucchini is very dry and crispy. It's difficult to determine the exact heating time as moisture in the air (humidity) has a major impact on drying time, but it should take about 7-11 hours.
Remove the dried grated zucchini from the dehydrator.
Now comes the fun part! Fill your blender, food processor, or chopper about 2/3 full with the dehydrated grated zucchini and grind it until it is finely ground. Any grinder will work. Some grind finer than others. I used my Vitamix and it ground it to a very fine consistency.* (Read the important note below before removing the lid.)
Congratulations! You've just made flour!
*Important! After you are done grinding, keep the lid on your grinder for a few minutes to let the dust settle. If you don't, you will have a cloud of zucchini dust puff out all over the place when you remove the lid. It can be quite messy and it's not good to inhale all those fine particles.
Remember, I mentioned that I wanted to experiment with leaving the peel on or off. I left the peel on the first batch and pared the second batch. It's difficult to tell with the photos, but there was a slight difference in color; the peeled zucchini was a pale green and the unpeeled zucchini was a bit darker green. I did not notice a difference in the texture or taste. Therefore, I just combined both flours into one container.
Store the zucchini flour in an airtight container, such as a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. You can also vacuum seal the jar lids for longer lasting storage. The zucchini flour tends to pull moisture from the air which can cause clumping and molding. To prevent this, you may add a food safe silica packet to absorb the moisture. This is optional, but well worth it. You can read more about silica packets here.
Do not store the zucchini flour in the refrigerator. There is too much moisture in the refrigerator which will undo all your dehydrating work.
Use your beautiful zucchini flour within 6 months for best taste; however, it can be stored for up to 1 year, especially with a silica packet. Not sure if it is good? Smell it; it's no good if it smells musty. It's no good if it is wet and has large clumps of mold. Here's an article to tell you more about bad flour.
So, how much flour will you get? Roughly 3 ½ pounds of zucchini will make about 2 cups of dried shredded zucchini which will end up making a scant ½ cup of zucchini flour.
Now that you have successfully made the zucchini flour, what do you do with it? You can make cakes, breads, cookies, muffins, and quick breads that don't require a lot of rising time since there is no gluten in the zucchini flour. Zucchini flour can replace coconut flour (1:1 ratio). You can replace 1/4 to 1/3 cup of regular flour with the zucchini flour (1:3-4 ratio). (I've been told you might want to add 1-2 tablespoons additional water or oil and mix it extra well.) Try adding some of the zucchini flour to soups, stir fries, casseroles, smoothies, scrambled eggs, or pancake batters. Have fun and add color and nutrition by adding a bit (not a lot) when making pasta (1:10 ratio).
There are a variety of easy to make recipes using alternative flours, such as zucchini flour, available on food blogs. A quick Google search will turn up many options. Find a reliable source for recipes and have some fun experimenting in the kitchen!
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- Author: Brianna Aguayo Villalon
Christian Black joined the Nutrition Policy Institute at the University of California in September 2024 as our 2024-2025 UC Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellowship, Sustainable Agriculture and Food Fellow. Black is a graduate student pursuing a Master's in Public Health with a concentration on Community Health at UC Irvine Joe C. Wen School of Population & Public Health, where he utilizes salivary biomarkers and wearable devices to study the relationship between harsh prison environments and health longevity. As an NPI fellow, Black will support efforts to improve food and nutrition security among currently and formerly incarcerated individuals in California. This 10-month fellowship is part of the 2024-2025 UC Bonnie Reiss Climate Action Fellowship Program, formerly known as the UC Global Food Initiative, which supports the UC's climate goals by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and establishing climate programs and policies centered on equity, sustainability, and resiliency. In addition to working with the NPI Farm to Corrections project team, Black will participate in UC systemwide activities.
- Author: Jean Aquino
- Editor: Hannah Thompson
- Editor: Danielle Lee
An article in EdSource by Hannah Thompson of the Nutrition Policy Institute and Rebecca London of the University of California Santa Cruz discussed the impacts of the “Recess for All” law in California schools. The law requires at least 30 minutes of recess in elementary schools and bans taking away recess as punishment. Research in education and child development has found that recess benefits behavioral, mental, and physical health in students. Surveys of students have found that recess is a popular subject statewide. Recess also helped students recover from social isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. It can help students develop interpersonal skills and later focus in the classroom and improve learning. The “Recess for All” law has helped create equity among schools, as students of color and in low-income areas have historically had less recess time. However, the benefits of recess have been underestimated with the rise in standardized testing and decrease in recess and arts during the No Child Left Behind era. Hopefully, with the support of parents and students, the “Recess for All” law can be implemented equally throughout California elementary schools.
A 2024 article by Matthew Yoshimoto of The Daily Californian discussed Berkeley's 2014 soda tax, and its presence on the ballot in November 2024. Since its implementation, the soda tax, a 1-cent-per-ounce excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages, has had drastic impacts on community health. By 2017, consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages decreased by over 50% and water consumption increased by almost 30%. The revenue has funded efforts to improve the nutrition environment in the low-income and minority communities hardest hit by the sugary drinks. NPI's Ken Hecht highlighted that health in Black and Latine communities has especially benefited from the soda tax's direct and indirect effects. The soda tax has also helped in the efforts to combat childhood obesity. According to a study by Kaiser Permanente, cities where the tax is implemented did not show an increase in childhood obesity rates while rates are increasing elsewhere. Berkeley's change has had a positive ripple effect, with cities including Oakland and San Francisco following with their own taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages. Though the soda tax has had overwhelming support from voters, due to push back from soda companies there are new legislative barriers concerning the tax. While a tax increase is currently not an option for Berkeley, there is hope that in November 2024, voters will consider the positive effects of the soda tax and support its indefinite renewal.
- Author: Pam S Kan Rice
Modificar la Ley Agrícola puede reducir las barreras a las que se enfrentan los estudiantes
En el 2015, un estudio reveló que 4 de cada 10 estudiantes de UC carecían de suficiente dinero para comprar alimentos que les permitieran mantener una alimentación saludable y a pesar de los esfuerzos por mejorar el acceso de los estudiantes universitarios a programas de asistencia alimentaria, un 78 por ciento de los que son elegibles continúan sin solicitar ese beneficio.
El acceso inadecuado a alimentos puede dañar la salud de los estudiantes universitarios y su desempeño académico, reveló un estudio reciente de la Universidad de California publicado en el Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, el cual investigó las razones por las que los estudiantes de UC que son elegibles para recibir el Programa Suplemental de Asistencia Nutricional (SNAP, por sus siglas en inglés), no lo solicitan o reciben.
“Basado en los resultados de nuestro estudio, si eliminamos los requisitos extras para que nuestros estudiantes universitarios califiquen para SNAP, ello contribuiría a garantizar que más estudiantes obtengan el apoyo que necesitan para satisfacer sus necesidades alimentarias básicas”, manifestó la coautora del estudio Lorrene Ritchie, directora del Instituto de Políticas sobre Nutrición, el cual forma parte de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC (UC ANR, por sus siglas en inglés).
Un estudio del 2015 por el NPI reveló que 4 de cada 10 estudiantes de UC no tenían suficiente dinero para comprar los alimentos necesarios para llevar un estilo de vida saludable. Para promover una mejor salud, UC ha tomado los pasos necesarios para garantizar que los estudiantes conozcan sobre la existencia de SNAP, estableciendo centros de comida y otros recursos de necesidades básicas en los campus.
"En California, a SNAP se le conoce como CalFresh y a pesar de las políticas y la comunicación para mejorar el acceso de los estudiantes universitarios a CalFresh, la participación se mantiene baja, pues aproximadamente un 78 por ciento de quienes son elegibles no reciben los beneficios", indicó la autora principal del estudio Suzanna M. Martínez, profesora asociada del Departamento de Epidemiologia y Bioestadísticas en UC San Francisco.
Para obtener una perspectiva sobre por qué los estudiantes de UC de recursos limitados no están recibiendo los beneficios, Martínez, Ritchie y colegas de UC San Francisco y del Instituto de Políticas sobre Nutrición consultaron con agencias condales encargadas de procesar las solicitudes de CalFresh de los estudiantes. Los investigadores entrevistaron al personal de los nueve condados donde se ubican los campus de UC: Alameda, Los Ángeles, Merced, Orange, Riverside, San Francisco, Santa Barbara, Santa Cruz y Yolo.
Mientras que los beneficios de CalFresh han sido pagados principalmente por el gobierno federal a través de la Ley Agrícola, los condados contribuyen también y las agencias condales son responsables de la implementación de políticas, de determinar la elegibilidad, procesar aplicaciones y distribuir fondos.
“Aunque la reautorización de la Ley Agrícola sigue pendiente, estos resultados pueden aportar una perspectiva sobre cómo fortalecer las políticas de SNAP relacionadas con los estudiantes elegibles”, dijo Martínez.
Los investigadores condujeron grupos de discusión y entrevistas con personal del condado para conocer la forma en la que los empleados de la agencia interpretan el complejo criterio bajo el cual los estudiantes deben ser elegibles para recibir CalFresh.
Sus preguntas se centraron en las diferencias entre las solicitudes de los estudiantes y las de los miembros de la comunidad, los pasos que se toman cuando se procesan las solicitudes de los estudiantes, capacitación específica para estudiantes y mejoras al proceso sugeridas.
Cinco temas centrales fueron identificados en las entrevistas:
- Se necesita una diseminación de las políticas y administración del programa de manera consistente.
- Las exenciones y el proceso de solicitud son percibido como un reto por los estudiantes.
- El apoyo clave para obtener solicitudes estudiantiles exitosas incluye la revisión cuidadosa en busca de potenciales exenciones que proporcionen recursos útiles a estudiantes y colaboradores en los campus.
- Mantenerse al tanto de los cambios en las políticas es algo complicado.
- Eliminar los reglamentos para los estudiantes y tratarlos como clientes regulares sería más equitativo.
Los investigadores concluyeron que los reglamentos de CalFresh son un reto para los estudiantes y el personal de las agencias del condado.
Por otra parte, los requisitos de elegibilidad, escritos hace más de 50 años, están basados en la asunción de que los estudiantes universitarios cuentan con el apoyo de sus familias de la clase media.
La investigación apoya la simplificación del proceso de CalFresh para estudiantes con el fin de incrementar la participación entre los que son elegibles, especialmente los que pertenecen a grupos étnicos y son de recursos limitados, los cuales han estado históricamente subrepresentados y para quienes es crítico contar con un acceso equitativo a los beneficios de CalFresh.
“Una vez que los estudiantes se confunden o desconocen lo que deben hacer, no continúan con el proceso de solicitud”, mencionó un empleado de elegibilidad de CalFresh a los investigadores.
Durante la pandemia del COVID-19, se eximió o relajó el cumplimiento de algunos de los requisitos federales o estatales para los estudiantes.
“Este estudio resultó en un experimento natural desde que las modificaciones al SNAP relacionadas al COVID-19 agilizaron el proceso de solicitud de los estudiantes y redujeron la carga administrativa”, expresó Martínez. “Estas modificaciones aliviaron algunos de los retos mencionados por los empleados del condado, confirmando las opiniones existentes para que se eliminen los reglamentos para los estudiantes”.
Ritchie dijo: “Esperamos que nuestra investigación ofrezca información para una política que retire las barreras y los estudiantes no tengan tanta dificultad para obtener los alimentos que necesitan”.
El estudio fue financiado por la Legislatura del Estado de California, la cual proporcionó fondos para que la Universidad de California aborde las necesidades básicas de los estudiantes (Iniciativa de Necesidades Básicas de UC).
Adaptado al español por Leticia Irigoyen del artículo en inglés. Editado para su publicación por Diana Cervantes