Somehow a gigantic zucchini — think of a chubby, green Dachshund, minus the fur and extremities — ended up at my desk the other day. Produce has a way of making its way into the newsroom this time of year, when local gardens are overflowing with tomatoes, peppers and other child-sized produce.

Determined to make the most out of this oblong, edible wonder, I took the zucchini home and carved it into more manageable pieces.

The first half became dinner (and lunch for many days thereafter) in the form of stuffed zucchini. After cutting open the zucchini and quartering the bottom half, I scooped out the seeds and shoveled spoonfuls of a meatloaf-inspired mixture onto the slabs (see recipe below), four of which fit snugly on one cookie sheet. It took about 40 minutes of broiling to get the meat mixture to cook through, but the scorching hot kitchen conditions were worth it. The sausage mixture had a sweet, slightly spicy flavor that went well with the mild taste of the zucchini, a vegetable that screams for seasoning.

To make the most out of the remaining half, I fired up the vegetable-grating attachment on my KitchenAid mixer and shredded chunk after chunk of zucchini. Firing up the oven yet again, I plowed through three batches of zucchini muffins. I basically borrowed this zucchini bread recipe and made muffins, which cut the bake time from 70 minutes (for the loaf) to 40 minutes for a batch of 12 muffins.

If you’ve got a freakishly large fruit or vegetable and want to show it off instead of demolishing it in the kitchen, the Gold Country Fair has a contest for you. The Grand and Gross Garden Goodies division recognizes the largest home-grown fruit or vegetable, and also features a category for most unusual shape. Residents of Placer, Nevada and El Dorado counties are eligible to enter exhibits.

Registration is due Tuesday, Aug. 25 for this contest. Get your exhibitor handbook now for the Gold Country Fair, which will be held Sept. 10-13 in Auburn. Call the Fair office at (530) 823-4533 or visit goldcountryfair.com for more information.

Extreme Stuffed Zucchini

1 pound turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

1 medium onion, chopped

1 1/4 cup cooked rice

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

garlic salt, salt and pepper, to taste

zucchini, cut lengthwise, seeds removed

Turn oven to broil setting. Place zucchini on cookie sheets and sprinkle with garlic salt — set aside.

In frying pan, warm olive oil over medium heat. Stir in garlic and sauté for roughly one minute before adding onions, sautéing for a couple minutes, until onion is slightly translucent. Remove from heat and allow to cool for a couple minutes.

Combine sausage, rice, cheese, pepper flakes and seasoning in medium bowl, mixing with either a spoon or your hands. Mix in cooled onions and garlic.

Spoon mixture onto each zucchini strip, and place in oven. Broil until meat is cooked — in the case of monster zucchini, it took 30-40 minutes, as I liberally applied meat mixture to the zucchini boats.