Friday, July 9, 2010

Freezing Zucchini


What do you do when you are up to your ears in zucchini???

FREEZE IT!

I'm not sure if my method is correct but it works for me. I did this with last years crop and had enough stored up to last us all winter.
Here's how I do it.


Wash & peel zucchini  (can leave the peel on if you prefer).
Slice it in circles, slabs or chunks.
I like to use the circles to saute in butter, the slabs make nice ZUCCHINI SANDWICHES and the chunks can be thrown into a variety of dishes (soups, casseroles, etc.).
When freezing the slices or slabs I layer them on waxed paper. When a sheet is full I just add another piece of waxed paper and continue layering. I then place all the layers into a freezer bag and freeze.

I can easily remove a sheet at a time or use the whole bag if needed.

To freeze the chunks I place them on a cookie sheet (spread them out) and put in the freezer. Once frozen you can remove them from the tray and place in a freezer bag. Freezing them first prevents them from freezing all together into one big ice chunk. Now you can just grab a handful of zucchini chunks for your next recipe without having to defrost the whole bag.
I use this same method when freezing peppers

(Slice/Freeze/Bag) that way when I go to make a pot of soup or such I just open the bag and easily pour just the amount of peppers that I need into the pan. I then reseal the rest of the bag and place back in the freezer for another recipe.

                               * Today's Batch*

We are still "on vacation" for a few more days. I am so enjoying the week without schedules, bedtimes or alarm clocks. It's been too hot to do much outside other than swim so I've been inside watching movies, playing games and sewing. I manage to get outdoors late in the evening to water the plants and sit a bit in the cooler air. (If you want to call that cool air!) I can't believe how hot this season has been so far!
As I sit here typing, the rain is beginning to fall outside which is so good. The gardens and lawns are super thirsty so this will do them good. I just hope it cools things off a bit.
Hope you all are staying cool and Enjoy your weekend!

5 comments:

Jill said...

I love zucchini! Especially fresh from the garden. Sometimes i blanch mine first before freezing and that works well too. do you make zucchini bread too? I've heard that freezes well also.
Have a great weekend!!

Blessings!

Jill

Carmen S. said...

Great tips, our zucchini is coming now, they are about 3 inches long! My mother in law gave me a recipe for zucchini cookies years ago that uses shredded zucchini and butterscotch chips, very tasty, let me know if you want the recipe;)

Anonymous said...

I've been up to my ears in zucchini as well!I grate mine and freeze in 2cup bags for future baking. Picked more3 yesterday, so I'll dice these up and freeze them. We love zucchini. :) Oh, I have tons of banana peppers, what all do you do with yours?

Amber said...

freezing and drying over abundances is so worth it! You'll be enjoying it all year round. Yum! :)

Buttercup said...

Great ideas and I like the idea of the zucchini sandwiches. They sound yummy. Thanks for your birthday wishes! Much appreciated.