Thursday, January 20, 2011

Freezing Zucchini

I found these pictures of last years zucchini harvest and realized they never were posted.  Freezing zucchini is so simple and it is nice to have for breads and cakes in the winter.  I like to choose the small zucchini before the seeds get too big, but if they do get bigger I just cut them in 1/2 and scoop out those seeds and then shred them.


This year I can't take credit for doing all the garden preserving myself.  The kids have been a great help with everything from picking, cleaning, shredding, slicing, and processing.  To start, wash your zucchini and cut off the ends.  You can either shred the zucchini by hand using a grater or (the much easier way) cut pieces to fit in a food processor.


Since we have a large amount to freeze every year we just keep shredding and fill up some canners or large containers until they are all shredded.  *Don't forget that you can also chop zucchini into chunks and freeze them for soups and stews, etc.*  At this point some people will blanch the zucchini for a couple minutes and cool before they freeze it.  I have never blanched zucchini and it still freezes very well.


Spoon zucchini into freezer bags.  I do a quantity of two cups per bag as many recipes that I have call for this amount.  Lay the bag on the table or counter and press your hand from bottom to top to remove as much air from the bag as possible.  Seal, label and freeze!

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