Zucchini zone: Local cooks up book

Neighbors always know Betty Redmer-Kellner is home by the yummy smell of cooked zucchini wafting on the wind.

In this winter visitor's fifth-wheel, zucchini isn't just OK - zucchini is king.

"We have potlucks at our RV park and instead of asking what type of food I'm bringing, people always ask 'What zucchini recipe are you cooking this week?'" Betty said, chuckling. "A favorite dish is my zucchini au gratin. Oh, it's good!"

The Illinois native inherited her love for the long, green veggie from her grandmother, who owned a restaurant called The Cupboard. Zucchini was often on the menu and Betty always helped out in the summer as a youngster.

These days Betty and her magical mixing bowl can transform the family's favorite ingredient into an astonishing array of tasty treats. While most cooks plateau at zucchini bread, Betty launches into a culinary adventure made up of zucchini jam, chips, fritters, chowder, pizza and pickles.

These recipes are true family favorites, but they're family secrets no more.

Betty recently published a cookbook called "Grandma's Zucchini Recipes" and it's selling like zucchini hotcakes. That's because zucchini is so darn plentiful in most gardens and many cooks don't have more than one or two recipes to try. People are hungry for options and Betty is more than happy to come to the rescue.

"There is a need for a book about just zucchini. Since my book is dedicated to zucchini, when zucchini comes in season, people can grab my book and say 'OK, I'm going to make this and that or this,'" the author said, raving about the vegetable's usefulness and flavor. "There are many vegetables that are versatile, but zucchini is one of the best. It also has a nice flavor of its own, but it takes on the flavor of whatever you cook it with. There are so many things you can make!"

"Grandma's Zucchini Recipes" shares 75 of Betty's favorite recipes, a portion of them straight from grandma's files. The recipes are joined on the printed page by fun cartoons drawn by the author's daughter in law.

Betty, who lives in Winterhaven, Calif., self-published the book and just recently started sharing her creation with the public. Her first book-signing event took place at her RV park.

"The park wasn't even full yet and I sold 12 books in the first few minutes," she said with a giggle. "I don't know any words to describe it. It was such a warming feeling. I feel like I'd done something good."

The cookbook sells for $19.95 and is available through Amazon.com and BarnesAndNoble.com.

Her next book-signing is slated for Tuesday, Jan. 12 at Rivers Edge RV Resort, 2299 Winterhaven Drive in Winterhaven. The event will run from 8 a.m. to noon.

People wanting to contact Betty can do so through e-mail: bjkellner@yahoo.com.

Betty's culinary experience began with her grandma's restaurant, but it didn't end there. After graduating from high school she worked for Howard Johnson's Restaurant, serving as manager and assisting with the catering business. She eventually rose to the level of "trouble-shooting management," which involved traveling to restaurants around the region.

Betty later worked for 10 years with people who were mentally ill or developmentally challenged. But she always kept one foot in the kitchen through a constant string of odd jobs at restaurants.

Betty's final calling, however, came when she began a 15-year career teaching computer science classes at Rockford College.

She retired in 2004.

"So why write a cookbook? It's all related to teaching," she explains. "I've taught classes to do technical writing. That's more me. I'm not the fluffy type of person that would write a novel. I'm someone who gets right to the facts and gets it done. Cookbooks are like that."

Betty inherited about 120 recipes from her grandmother. Ones that weren't quite favorites were marked with pictures of little frowning faces.

On top of those recipes Betty added many of her own zucchini creations.

Betty's husband earned top billing in the book's dedications because he happily served as the official taste tester during the book's early stages.

"He's sampled every one of the recipes I cooked. I dedicated the book to him, my sister and one of my best friends," Betty said, happily adding that her husband hasn't gotten sick of zucchini yet. "Half the time he doesn't know I'm putting zucchini in what he's eating!"

Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.