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FREEZING ZUCCHINI TUTORIAL...
I love growing zucchini... and picking it... and cooking with it! But I hate freezing it!
Since I have a garden and grow zucchini, it only makes sense that I have an OVERabundance of zucchini.
And that means freezing... what a thankless job~ it is such a mess! Grating, and bagging~ my countertops, floors and clothes are covered with zucchini shards!
THERE'S GOTTA BE A BETTER WAY!
There is!
There are those tasks and little jobs that we do by rote... not giving much thought to them. And maybe there is a better, more efficient, less messier and easier way!
It may sound a little silly to have a tutorial about freezing zucchini, but these little tips really helped me... so I thought I would pass them along. Hope they help you too!
~ Cut all big baseball bat type zucchini into managable chunks. Half the zucchini lengthwise.
~Scoop out any seeds with a spoon. You are better scooping than scraping.
~ Don't use a box grater if you have a lot of zucchinis to grate. Use the grater attachment on your food processor! Magic!
~ When using a freezer zip-type bag, freeze the zucchini in 2 cup servings.
Get a 2 cup mug or glass. Put the bag in the mug and fold the locking top of the bag over the edge of the mug.
Fill the bag full with zucchini.
~ Use tongs to transfer the zucchini from the food processor to the freezer bag in the mug. This was a revelation to me...I HATE getting zucchini stuck to my hands! Easy and no zucchini hands!!!!
~ Line a large rimmed baking tray with parchment and put the cup with the freezer bag on the tray. Keep the zucchini mess on the tray.
When you are done, fold up the parchment and throw the zucchini shards away! Look clean work space!
~ Seal the bag trying to get as much air out of the bag as possible. Stack to freeze. I have a upright freezer and a secondary frig with a freezer on top. I use my freezer on top as a "holding tank" until things freeze hard and then I transfer them to the upright freezer.
~ Here is a tip for anyone who has an electric bag sealer. I have a Food Saver and love it.
If you are freezing "wet" food put it into the bag, fold down the top and secure it with a clothespin and put it in the freeger. When the content of the bag is frozen it is much easier to seal.
I bagged four cups of zucchini, put a clothespin on it and laid them on their side so they would lie flat (because no liquid would seep out). Once frozen I sealed it with my Food Saver and put it in my big upright freezer.
~When you want to use your zucchini... remove it from the freezer and thaw in a colander. Squeeze out the excess liquid before using.
Here are a couple things I make with zucchini:
Believe it or not I have never froze zucchini before, so these tips will come in handy if I decide to try this year. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteWe won't be freezing zucchini here for at least another month but those are great tips, especially using the cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Now, why did I never think of that before - lol :) Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat!!! I have been giving away zucchini for years. Did not know I could freeze it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great tip. Looks like you and you and you have to go buy your own zucchini this year.
Could you do this with squash too? I have it coming out my ears!! :)
ReplyDeleteFreezing zucchini is a brilliant idea! I will be giving this a try for sure...thank you!!
ReplyDeleteI have been growing, harvesting, baking, grating and freezing zukes for years and this tutorial is amazing - I have ALWAYS done it the long, messy, yucky & difficult way.
ReplyDeleteTHANKS, YVONNE! This was really helpful to me. Going to do it today - the zukes are coming faster than we're baking and eating and sharing - but I have been putting off the inevitable bleh mess. NOT ANY MORE!!!
Thank you Yvonne for the sweet comment on my Poppy chairs. This is my first visit to your blog and I absolutely LOVE it ... pure eye candy and SO inspiring!!!
ReplyDeleteNow following ;)
- Ruthie
That's a great tutorial!! I hope to be able to use it in a few more weeks!! ;) Thank you!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great idea. Very helpful.
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of freezing zucchini, we make lots of zucchini bread in the winter, although I have found that using the liquid actually makes the bread a lot more moist than "draining" the liquid off after thawing. Great ideas, I never thought to use my food processor to grate it! Will definitely be using these tips!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you could freeze fresh zucchini! Great! I had a bird drop a seed in my herb garden and now I have a huge zucchini plant! I am so excited! Thanks for all the tips, Yvonne!
ReplyDeleteXO,
Jane
Yvonne, I also freeze it cubed for Zucchini casserole and whole after I've scooped the seeds for stuffed, baked zucchinni. Have ever tried chocolate zucchini cake? It's incredible!
ReplyDeleteI love my shredder attachment on my kitchen-aide mixer. It has been wonderful in shredding my zuchinni. I have done the same thing in freezing 2 cups in a bag to pull out for easy use. I do like the idea of putting the bag in a cup for easier filling.
ReplyDeleteThanks for any tidbits you have to offer. Love helpful hints.
Hmmmmm. I love Zucchini! I will be taking a trip to my native West Virginia next weekend and will harvest some beautiful and delicious Zucchini from my sisters garden. Thanks for all the wonderful tips Yvonne!
ReplyDeleteI always freeze a few bags every year. I don't have a big food processor so it's a bit of a challenge using my small one. Very worth it though to make that moist homemade zucchini bread in the fall. Thanks for stopping by my blog and leaving such lovely comments. I so enjoy and appreciate them.
ReplyDeleteUh.... doesn't everyone grate their zucchini in a food processor??? I avoid hand grating at all costs :).
ReplyDeleteGreat idea! Nice to have it all ready for making a loaf of zucchini bread. Thanks, Yvonne.
ReplyDeleteGreat Advice! I also like to puree my zucchini and freeze it. It works just as well and I feel isn't as messy. Dianne
ReplyDeleteI have never frozen zucchini, but these are great tips if I ever try it. I do LOVE zucchini bread! XO, P
ReplyDeleteThis demo is the epitome of the adage "work smart, not hard"! Not making a mess in the first place is pretty smart. Great tips!
ReplyDeleteDear Yvonne: I read this post with much interest in anticipation of making your chocolate chip zucchini bread.
ReplyDeleteLast night I asked hubby why we wren't over run with succhini like Yvonne in Lancaster County Pa. I said
the difference in temperature and growing time can't be that different between Pa and LI.
He then informed me that we were growing pickling cucumbers not zucchini. Now I am disappointed that I
won't be able to make the bread. I will have to pick up some zucchini when we go to the Farmer's Market
tomorrow.
Can't wait to try this bread.
Denise Lamb