My friend gave me a zucchini earlier in the week, but I totally forgot about it and left it in my car. Temps inside the car have topped 100 degrees the last few afternoons. Zucchinis have some pretty high water content (I think?) so I’m a little worried it could have been a bacteria breeding ground sitting in my hot car these past few days.
I still want to eat it, but only if it’s safe. It’s basically been roasting in the heat during the day then cooling in the evening probably for two or three cycles. If the temperatures were more mild, I wouldn’t be worried. It also feels a bit soft and squishy in some areas.
As above, you’re probably safe, but blech… Soggy zucchini is less than desirable.
Ask your friend for another one. This time of year people are desperate to find willing victims to give their excess produce to. You’ll be doing him a favor.
If the skin is intact, there shouldn’t be any bacteria in the interior. Whether anything is growing on the skin itself is another question. My concern would be the texture. Mushy zucchini are disgusting.
Zucchini grow in that type weather, so it should be safe.
Here in New Jersey, we have to keep our doors locked in the autumn, or people who come into your kitchen and leave their zucchini. That stuff is a weed in these parts.
The fate of your zucchini is probably long sealed by now… But there are a few web resources on food safety as relate to fruits and vegetables for next time.
Food safety is an important issue for schools and other institutions. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has a pdf handbook on fresh fruits and vegetables in schools. They cover food safety on pages 31 & 32 of the document: http://www.fns.usda.gov/sites/default/files/handbook.pdf