How to properly freeze zucchini for the winter in the freezer

How to choose zucchini for freezing

Proper preparation for winter storage is very important.

Of course, the best option for freezing would be homemade fruits, but if they are not available, you need to select zucchini.

They must be young - this can be seen by the thin peel, with small seeds inside. The color can be any: green, white, yellow. The main condition is that everything must be fresh, whole, clean, with shiny skin, without scratches, stains, or rotten places. Only in this case will the prepared vegetables retain their vitamins and shape in the freezer throughout the winter.

Sluggish, long-harvested vegetables are not suitable, the same applies to unripe or overripe ones.

The next step for proper selection is to pierce the peel: if the zucchini is good, the peel is soft and easy to pierce. A hard and hard layer of skin indicates that the pulp is too fibrous.

Suitable varieties for freezing

If you know the name of the variety you are growing, carefully look at the list below. Have you found yours? Great, your zucchini is suitable for winter storage.

Pear-shaped;
Golden Cup;
Festival;
Yellow-fruited;
Negro;
Genovese;
Aeronaut;
Aral F1;
Arlica F1;
Gribovsky.

These varieties are most suitable for long-term freezing. They preserve the taste, appearance and beneficial properties as much as possible.

Choosing the right vegetables

There are few rules, but you must follow them:

For freezing, choose young fruits. Those that are overripe will have a thick skin.
By color: give preference to the lightest fruits. Their center will not get soft during the cooking process.
Vegetables should be healthy - without black spots or dents. Choose fruit with smooth skin only.

How is zucchini frozen?

There is a way to freeze zucchini so that it doesn't become tough and difficult to cook. The delicate taste will be preserved if the juice is removed from the sliced zucchini circles, cubes or grated mass. Cubes with circles are best blanched, that is, treated at high temperature. It is necessary to place the product in boiling water and stir over moderate heat for 5 minutes. To get rid of zucchini juice, steaming is suitable. The vegetables are then placed in a colander and left until dry and cool.

You can do without heat treatment. To remove excess liquid, sliced vegetables are laid out in one layer on a wooden surface and sprinkled with salt. During the process, moisture will be released - it must be carefully removed with napkins or a towel.

The easiest way to remove liquid from a grated product is. Simply squeeze out all the excess juice with your hands. After this procedure, the pulp is ready for freezing.

After the vegetables have undergone the necessary processing, the chopped cubes are placed in a bag and sent to the freezer. You can use a cellophane or plastic bag with a zipper on top. The main thing is to release all the excess air from it so that the zucchini can be stored for as long as possible without losing the tenderness of its taste. The most convenient way is to fill one container with enough vegetables for one serving. You can add herbs, garlic or other chopped vegetables to the zucchini.

Freezing zucchini slices is done like this. The dried circles are placed on a flat surface covered with cling film. Such surfaces can be, for example, a cutting board or baking sheet. You can cover the first layer with cling film and place another one on top. Vegetables must be placed in the freezer for 2 hours.

Afterwards, the frozen workpiece is pulled out, distributed into bags and sent back. The air must be released from the bags, just like with the cubes.

The process of freezing grated zucchini is not different or difficult. Zucchini mixture can be frozen not only in bags, but also in plastic containers with a lid. Carrots, garlic, onions or herbs are also added to the grated product to taste.

Further use

You can make the same things from frozen zucchini as you can from fresh ones. Here are some examples of delicious and simple recipes.

Pancakes

Ingredients:

0.5 kg frozen zucchini;
2 chicken eggs;
a tablespoon of sour cream;
a pinch of salt;
4 tbsp. l. flour.

Cooking method:

Thaw the zucchini. For pancakes, use grated frozen zucchini.
Remove excess liquid.
Add eggs.
Add sour cream, salt and flour.
Stir. If it turns out liquid, add flour. Zucchini may release water.
Place pancakes by the tablespoon onto a hot frying pan. Fry on both sides.

Best served with sour cream and herbs.

For feeding infants

Frozen zucchini is good for babies. Take care of your baby by freezing zucchini this summer. If you froze the finished puree, then you just need to heat it in a saucepan with a lid.

If the zucchini is frozen raw, then the grated zucchini must be stewed and the excess water squeezed out.

The third option is for you if you froze in circles or cubes. We also stew the zucchini in a small saucepan. Once the vegetables are ready, puree in a blender.

Freezing fried zucchini

The rules for freezing are described above; such zucchini can simply be reheated in the microwave. Serve fried zucchini with toasted bread and garlic.

Vegetable stew

Ingredients:

0.5 kg frozen zucchini, slices or cubes;
0.5 kg of potatoes;
1 carrot;
2 onions;
salt;
3 tomatoes;
greenery;
bell pepper

Cooking method:

Fry onions and carrots in a frying pan.
Add zucchini.
Let's stew.
Add chopped potatoes. Fill with two glasses of water.
Add chopped bell pepper and tomato.
We don’t cut the garlic, we put the whole clove on top.
Simmer until done.
Sprinkle the finished stew with chopped herbs.

Methods for freezing zucchini for the winter

The way vegetables are frozen determines what dishes they are best used in.

Blanched in slices

This method of freezing produces excellent vegetables for frying. These zucchini are not suitable for pancakes or vegetable stew.

Instructions for freezing blanched zucchini slices:

Wash the zucchini and peel off the skin.
Cut into circles 1–1.5 cm thick.
Place in boiling water and blanch for 5 minutes. Then place in a sieve or colander and let all the liquid drain.
Dry each circle and place on a wooden board wrapped in cling film.
Freeze at the lowest temperature available in your freezer. Then put it in a plastic bag.

How long do frozen zucchini last?

Knowing how to freeze zucchini in the freezer, you can easily prepare for winter. How long can they be stored? The time limit is nine months for vegetables, frozen fresh or blanched. Nothing prevents you from preserving the fruits for a longer period. But under this condition, it is possible that the vegetables will acquire an unpleasant smell and taste. The main storage rule is to prevent re-freezing of the products. Do not remove them from the refrigerator unless necessary. Thawed vegetables should be used as soon as possible.

How to properly freeze zucchini for baby feeding

Don’t trust store-bought baby food, and your baby’s complementary feeding period falls during the cold season? Prepare vegetable and fruit purees yourself! Before freezing zucchini for your child in the freezer, first prepare the product properly. This way you will be sure that the puree contains all the vitamins and microelements your baby needs. How to properly freeze baby foods in the freezer:

Peel young fruits from peels, seeds, and stalks. Cut into small pieces.
Boil the water.
Place the vegetables in boiling water for four to five minutes, remove them with a slotted spoon, and let the water drain.
Puree the prepared pieces with a blender, place portions into small containers and place the prepared complementary food on the freezer shelves.

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Is it possible to freeze zucchini?

Freezing healthy foods is not always possible. For example, green salad, as you know, cannot be frozen whole, because after defrosting it completely loses its structure and looks unattractive in salads. But when it comes to zucchini, there are no prohibitions. After defrosting, the vegetable retains many nutrients, vitamins, and also taste! These zucchini are suitable for preparing a wide variety of dishes.

Important!

For freezing, only fresh zucchini is taken, those that have elastic pulp and thick skin.

You can take zucchini for freezing for the winter at any age, although the younger they are, the better. The peel should be of normal color, dense, but not hard, because the pulp of such zucchini is coarse and does not store well when frozen. You should definitely make sure that the vegetable is healthy, without rot or serious damage.

Frozen zucchini can be stored for approximately 9 months. If stored longer, the taste and color of the vegetable may begin to deteriorate. In general, experts recommend eating self-frozen zucchini in the coming winter, and making new ones in the freezer the following year.

For freezing, only fresh zucchini is taken, those that have elastic pulp and thick skin.

Shelf life of zucchini in the freezer

If you freeze fresh zucchini for the winter, they will be perfectly stored in the freezer at - 12°C; - 18 °C and in the freezer at -24 °C; -26°C. The blanks can be kept for up to 10 months.

The only requirement is that you should not repeat the procedure again.

For housewives who prepared supplies only through canning, freezing has become even more popular in use.

Firstly, making them is much easier: it takes less time, effort, and money.

Secondly, canned fruits retain much less beneficial properties. And frozen ones will provide the body with vitamins and microelements.

Tips and tricks

Remove all air from freezer bags.
When freezing as a puree, squeeze out all the moisture.
Stress freezing will help preserve the beneficial properties as much as possible.
Remove the stems.

Composition and beneficial properties of zucchini

The usefulness of zucchini is indicated by its chemical composition. It contains dietary fiber, there is tocopherol and pectin, biotin, nicotinic, tartronic acids. There are a minimum of fatty acids, no fat or cholesterol, but there is vitamin E, which is an antioxidant.

The vegetable contains beta-carotene and ascorbic acid, which strengthen the immune system. Zucchini contains large quantities of fiber. It contains potassium, magnesium and calcium, as well as retinol, manganese, folate and riboflavin, pyridoxine and phosphorus.

Nutritionists attach particular importance to a vegetable variety called zucchini, which was developed in European countries. It has a more delicate taste, so this product is eaten raw and added to salad.

Due to its composition, zucchini has a number of healing properties:

Helps with anemia.
Protects cells from damage due to oxidation.
Strengthens the nervous system.
Treats asthma, eye diseases, various bruises, inflammatory processes.
Strengthens bones and teeth, allows bones to heal quickly in case of fractures, reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Supports the functioning of the heart and arteries, reduces blood pressure in case of high blood pressure.
Has a beneficial effect on the liver, helps the outflow of bile.
Improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, cleanses it of toxins, waste, prevents the development of constipation and flatulence.
Speeds up metabolism.
Reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Basic Rules

To ensure the quality of preservation of frozen zucchini, you should adhere to the following rules when choosing vegetables:

select unripe fruits;
choose vegetables without characteristic soft spots on the skin, indicating the beginning of the rotting process.

Before chopping the zucchini you should:

rinse well under waste water, separate the stalk and the location of the flower;
thoroughly dry the fruit;
by cutting, remove seeds and remove the top layer of pulp from slightly overripe vegetables;
Remove the hard skin from a large zucchini.

Preparation process

The following procedure should be followed to prepare zucchini for freezing:

Select the required amount of vegetables for this purpose and wash them very well.
Dry by rubbing each vegetable separately.
Peel very large specimens, remove seeds and excess pulp.
Grind as necessary.
Blanch if required.
Pre-fry the zucchini cut into slices; in addition, if you wish, you can prepare sauté or caviar.
If the zucchini has been grated or blanched, the mass should be squeezed out.
Place the prepared crushed mass on a flat surface (table, large plate, baking sheet) for short-term drying.
Fill the vegetable stock into a vacuum or regular bag, place it on a cutting board that you can place in the freezer - the board should be the right size.
Place the board with the tightly packed product in the freezer.

Read about the preparation and storage of various products for freezing on the website Holodilnik1.ru - https://holodilnik1.ru/gotovka-i-hranenie/zamorozka-produktov-podgotovka-i-hranenie/.

Slicing options

Depending on what dishes you plan to use frozen zucchini for, you choose the method of slicing the vegetable. You can use the following methods:

cut into rings with a thickness of 0.7 to 10 mm - it will be convenient to fry, stuff sandwiches, or place on the surface of a pizza;
frozen zucchini in the form of cubes or sticks will be very useful when preparing stews, perfect for zucchini caviar for an appetizer;
From grated zucchini you can bake pancakes, make caviar, cream soup, and also use it for purees for children.

Blanching issue

Many people are interested in the question of whether it is necessary to blanch zucchini before freezing. Blanching helps preserve the color of the product. Some people notice that they are more satisfied with the taste of zucchini that has been blanched before freezing. This means that it is a matter of taste - whoever likes it can use blanching.

Advice for those who cannot finally decide on the issue of blanching:

For the experiment, you need to freeze two portions of zucchini - blanched and unblanched.
A day later, prepare the same version of the dish from these two frozen portions.
Choose the preparation option whose dish you like best.

What should I put it in?

It is possible to put zucchini in:

Food containers made of plastic or metal.
A simple polyethylene bag.
The bag is vacuum, equipped with a special lock.
Silicone molds.
Place on a cutting board - two servings will fit at once.

Attention!

Do not use glass containers or excessively thin bags as containers for frozen vegetables. There is a danger that the glass will crack from exposure to low temperatures, and the thin package will become fragile and fall apart.

Temperature and shelf life

As a rule, freezing in a standard refrigerator freezer at a temperature of - 12 ° C, - 18 ° C is sufficient to preserve zucchini. If desired, it is possible to store in refrigerators with a temperature of -24°C, -26°C.

The shelf life of such zucchini is 10 months. Repeated freezing is not recommended, and if the product has been thawed, it will have an unpleasant smell and taste. It is better to consume a slightly thawed vegetable immediately.

Composition and beneficial properties of frozen zucchini

The process of freezing grated vegetables

This is another excellent, proven way to harvest fruit. It is not at all necessary to prepare zucchini whole. You can also freeze grated vegetables. This method is ideal for preparing vegetable cutlets or pancakes.

We wash the fruits in running water and remove too hard and rough skins if we are using overripe fruits for harvesting. If the seeds in the pulp are too large, they also need to be removed.
Grind the peeled vegetables on a grater with medium holes.
Squeeze the juice out of the resulting pulp using your hands.
We put the resulting pulp into bags and place it in the freezer.

Due to its composition, zucchini has a number of healing properties:

Helps with anemia.
Protects cells from damage due to oxidation.
Strengthens the nervous system.
Treats asthma, eye diseases, various bruises, inflammatory processes.
Strengthens bones and teeth, allows bones to heal quickly in case of fractures, reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
Supports the functioning of the heart and arteries, reduces blood pressure in case of high blood pressure.
Has a beneficial effect on the liver, helps the outflow of bile.
Improves the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract, cleanses it of toxins, waste, prevents the development of constipation and flatulence.
Speeds up metabolism.
Reduces the risk of developing cancer.

Eating zucchini is allowed every day; the norm for an adult reaches 1.5 kg per day. The best option is to add the product to a vegetable salad. The main thing is not to get carried away so as not to cause negative consequences for the intestines.

Harvesting methods

You can freeze homemade zucchini for the winter in different ways: fresh and fried. Let's look at the main ones.

In circles

This method is suitable for lovers of fried zucchini and casseroles.

Before final freezing, they must first be prepared: cover the board with plastic wrap, lay out rings 1-1.5 cm thick. Place in this form in the freezer until completely frozen.

This is done to maintain the shape of the circles so that they do not freeze to each other and break.

Take it out, pack it in bags or containers, and put it back until ready to cook.

Cubes

Freezing cubes is convenient to use

This preparation is convenient to use in winter for soup and stew.

Cut the zucchini into cubes (1-2 cm). Before distributing into bags, blot any juice that appears on the slices with a paper towel.

Package little by little (in such portions as to be enough for one time). You can put it in bags, tying them tightly, or in containers, closing them with lids. Place in the freezer.

There should be no air left in the bags. Flatten the bags into a flat layer - this will ensure quick coverage with cold.

In grated form

This method of freezing zucchini requires the use of a medium grater. Grate them, drain the excess liquid, distribute them into containers and place them in the chamber.

You can mix it with grated carrots - you get a ready-made mass for vegetable pancakes.

With rice

In combination with the fiber of zucchini, rice can provide the body with energy.

Procurement rules:

Boil 1 cup of washed rice in salted water until half cooked.
Heat the oil in a cauldron, fry 1 kg of onion in it, add rice, 1 kg of fresh zucchini cut into small pieces, add salt and spices at your discretion.
Simmer for half an hour, covering with a lid.
Place the completely cooled mixture in containers and place in the freezer.

Fried

You can also stock up on fried zucchini. You will end up with a ready-made dish that just needs to be heated in the microwave.

To do this, you need to cut vegetables into circles, add salt, roll in flour, and fry in vegetable oil. Place in a colander and allow excess liquid to drain from vegetables. Leave until completely cool.

Pack into prepared containers, close tightly, tie, and place in the freezer.

Puree

Zucchini puree is good for babies

For a child, it is best to freeze it in the form of zucchini puree: it is good for newborns and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

The prepared vegetables are cut into cubes, blanched in boiling water until almost completely cooked, and placed in a colander to drain the liquid. Grind to a puree consistency in a blender.

The puree is placed in portions into containers, tightly closed, and placed in the freezer. In this form, the puree can be stored for 8 to 10 months. It cannot be defrosted and re-frozen.

For infants, it is advisable to prepare the puree separately, making it from the youngest vegetables - it will be more tender.

Entirely

Young, tender, small-sized vegetables can be used whole. Of course, they take up a lot of space in the freezer. This needs to be taken into account.

In regions where temperatures are below 10°C most of the year, you can store frozen foods on an icebox, in the basement of a house, etc.

What's the best way to defrost zucchini?

Fruits usually do not need to be thawed. If the zucchini has been pre-fried before placing it in the refrigerator, then it is almost ready to eat. Such vegetables only need to be heated in a frying pan or in the microwave. To use zucchini in soups or stews, they also do not need to be thawed.

If this is still necessary, then the zucchini just needs to be placed on the refrigerator shelf. This procedure can also be carried out at room temperature in a room.

The liquid that comes out of the vegetables during defrosting must be poured out. After the procedure, zucchini should be rolled in flour or batter and fried.