Zucchini for long-term storage with photos and descriptions + video

Zucchini is not only a familiar tasty vegetable, but also a storehouse of vitamins and microelements that are so necessary for our body in winter. How to make sure that you can enjoy healthy fruits all year round?

There are no problems with conservation. Zucchini can be salted, dried, frozen, pickled, made into caviar or even jam. How can you keep vegetables fresh without losing their taste and benefits? What varieties of zucchini are suitable for long-term storage? Which fruits will be the most shelf-stable? Let's find out!

Variety "Gribovsky"

It is sown in May - June in open ground, ready for harvest after forty-five - fifty days (in July - September).
The plant forms a large, strongly branching bush.
A mature vegetable has a cylindrical shape, a smooth surface and a light green or white color.
The fruit can weigh from seven hundred grams to one and a half kilograms.
The yield is up to eight kilograms per square meter.
The variety is cold-resistant, but for a bountiful harvest it requires generous watering, regular loosening and fertilizing.

Climbing liana-shaped varieties of zucchini with unusual fruits

For lovers of exotics, separate varieties have been bred. The crops combine decorative qualities and productivity. Zucchini is edible and tasty, despite its often odd shape.

Climbing

Italian scientists obtained a liana-like climbing crop. The plant grows stems more than 5 m long. For weaving, a trellis must be installed. Fruit length is difficult to determine. They come in different shapes, some are slightly curved, while others are rolled into a donut. Zucchini has a creamy skin and crisp white flesh. The harvest is stored for a long time, can be transported, and does not lose its presentation.

The Amazing Giant

In terms of ripening time, the variety is considered ultra-early ripening. The plant grows long vines and climbs along the installed trellis. Zucchini grows up to 1 m long. Giants weigh 6-10 kg. The color of the skin consists of light green and dark green stripes. The liana is cold-resistant and does not get sick if it is constantly damp. The harvest has a record shelf life of 1.5 years.

Variety "Festival F1"

It is sown in open ground in June and is ready for harvest after fifty to fifty-five days (in September).
The plant forms a compact bush with small leaves.
The fruit has a round shape and a smooth striped peel. Gamma is a combination of white, black, shades of yellow and green.
A mature vegetable usually weighs from six hundred grams to a kilogram.
The yield of the variety is about six kilograms per square measure.
The variety is loved by gardeners for its original color and excellent taste. In addition, the fruits do not darken during storage and do not spoil for a very long time.

Preparing vegetables for storage

In order for the shelf life to be as long as possible, competent preparatory measures are required. The following points are important:

Carrying out harvesting work before frost . Frozen zucchini loses its taste and keeping quality.
The fruits from the bush must be cut with a sharp knife, leaving 5-7 cm of the stalk . It is not allowed to pull the zucchini or twist the stalks - all this will affect the shelf life.
Cuts on the stalks are a risk of rotting and disease . This can be avoided by processing before storing zucchini. Sifted wood ash, crushed chalk, crushed activated carbon, liquid wax or paraffin are suitable for this.
The fruits should be carefully removed from the soil and left in the sun . Do not wash; if necessary, you can remove dirt with a slightly damp cloth.
Crop culling . Only healthy fruits are suitable for storage; signs of disease or pest damage are unacceptable. The shape of the zucchini should correspond to the description of the variety, the size is average. Overripe fruits are not suitable for storage.

Due to severe pruning of the stalk, the shelf life of zucchini suffers. The same is observed in the presence of mechanical damage.

Variety "Aeronaut"

It is sown between the end of May and mid-June in open ground or a greenhouse; technical ripeness of the fruit occurs fifty days after emergence.
The plant forms a compact bush with a small number of vines.
The fruit has an elongated cylindrical shape, smooth and very thin peel. The color of the ripe fruit is dark green.
The vegetable usually weighs about a kilogram (occasionally its weight can reach one and a half kilograms).
The yield of the variety is approximately seven kilograms per square measure.
The plant is resistant to various diseases, and the fruits retain their nutritional value for a long time.

Storage in a cellar or basement

Zucchini can be stored in dark rooms with a constant temperature of about +4. +10°C and humidity about 80%. Ideally, this is a cellar or basement , where we usually store some fruits and various vegetables.

Where to store zucchini To regulate the temperature, hang a thermometer in the storage and do not forget to periodically ventilate the room - this is also the key to successful storage (and not only zucchini, but also other vegetables). By the way, you can learn how you can increase or decrease the temperature, how you can adjust the humidity level in the room, from the article How to preserve the potato harvest until spring without loss.

Indoor storage

If you don’t have a cellar or basement, don’t worry: zucchini is perfectly stored indoors, in a house or apartment. Naturally, in a private house it is much easier to find a place for storage: it can be a pantry, a canopy, or a room, the main thing is not to store vegetables near heating devices or in a room with high humidity.

As for the apartment, a vegetable box located near the entrance or balcony door is ideal for storing zucchini (as a rule, the temperature here is always several degrees lower than the average in the apartment). And if you don’t have a special “storage” for zucchini, you can place the harvest on and under the bed, first carefully packing it in paper.

Cold storage

Zucchini will last relatively short time in the refrigerator - up to 3 weeks, but you can add young fruits with thin skin, the long-term storage of which is simply impossible under other conditions.

How to store zucchini in the refrigerator You can store zucchini in the refrigerator only in the vegetable compartment at a temperature of about +5°C, in a bag with several small holes for ventilation.

Variety "Pear-shaped"

It is sown in late May - early June, technical maturity occurs in thirty-eight to fifty-two days.
The plant forms thick vines with large leaves.
The vegetable has a pear shape, smooth but dense skin. The color of the ripe fruit varies, from yellow to light orange.
The weight of the fetus can reach one and a half kilograms, but more often it is about nine hundred grams.
The variety is demanding on the degree of humidity and light. The larger they are, the greater the harvest. Sometimes it can be up to eight to nine kilograms per square meter.
The fruits are distinguished by extremely juicy and aromatic pulp of a bright orange color.

Which zucchini are stored without refrigeration and which are not?

The expression “zucchini is stored like pumpkins” is somewhat misleading. Some varieties of pumpkins can be easily preserved at home until summer, or even until the next harvest. This does not apply to zucchini, but 3-4 months is a very realistic period. After this, their seeds begin to germinate into the pulp, which acquires an unpleasant bitterness. The most popular varieties of zucchini capable of long-term storage are the following:

Yellow-fruited;
Aeronaut;
Arlica F1;
Asset F1;
Little Negro;
Pear-shaped.

The so-called winter squash “Russian size” stands apart, the seeds of which are sold. On gardening forums, it is thoroughly proven that this is nothing more than a “Pink Banana” pumpkin. The fruits of this squash (or pumpkin?) grow to almost a meter in length and are really very well stored, until summer. The taste of the pulp is quite strange: in fact, it is difficult to understand which vegetable it resembles more. But the preservation of the fruit is really excellent.

Winter squash has a very hard skin.

In order for zucchini to remain in normal conditions, they must be removed in time and prepared for storage.

Variety "Arlica F1"

The variety is sown in June and is ready for harvest in forty to forty-two days.
The plant is compact, with large, erect leaves.
The vegetable has a cylindrical shape and smooth skin. The color of the ripe fruit usually ranges from yellowish to light green.
The fruit weighs from seven hundred fifty to nine hundred grams.
The yield ranges from five to six kilograms per square meter.
The variety requires regular hilling and abundant watering. Under favorable conditions it bears fruit for a long time.

Storage conditions

Regardless of the method chosen, zucchini must be stored under the following conditions:

darkness and coolness;
optimal temperature is 0-10 degrees, temperatures up to 20-22 degrees are allowed;
humidity level – up to 75%;
the fruits should not come into contact with each other - the shelf life will be higher, the risk of spreading diseases and spoilage will be reduced;
You cannot pack zucchini in film or plastic bags;
there should be no heat sources nearby.

During long-term storage of zucchini, regular inspection is required. At the first signs of rotting, all damaged specimens must be disposed of immediately. The place where they lay should be disinfected.

Variety "Yellow-fruited"

It is sown in mid-June and harvested forty-five to fifty days after the first shoots appear.
A bush with thick vines, but almost no leaves.
The fruit has a cylindrical shape with a perfectly smooth skin. A ripe vegetable is always painted bright yellow, sometimes there is an orange pattern in the form of a fine mesh.
The weight of the fruit varies from eight hundred to nine hundred grams.
Under good growing conditions, you can get an excellent harvest - up to eighteen kilograms per square meter.
To achieve an impressive result, the plant must be watered abundantly and fed regularly.

How to preserve zucchini until spring

Zucchini is a tasty and healthy vegetable.
You can enjoy dishes from it not only during several warm months in a row, but throughout the winter. The main thing is to be able to store it correctly. Let’s discuss all the subtleties and secrets of storing zucchini. Secrets of storing zucchini

Zucchini is a real storehouse of microelements useful for the human body, and a truly universal vegetable: it can be baked and fried, stuffed and boiled, grilled, canned, stewed, dried and even made into jam. There are no problems with canned zucchini - various recipes for preparing it can be found in the publications on our website. But how can you make it possible to prepare delicious treats from fresh fruits almost all year round? Let's try to figure out how to preserve the zucchini harvest until spring... But first, a few more useful secrets of this vegetable.

Variety "Negritenok"

It is sown in early June, the technical maturity of the fruit occurs after thirty-eight to forty-three days.
The bush is compact, with thick vines and large leaves. Often, significantly more female flowers are produced than male ones.
The fruit is elongated-cylindrical, with a dense, smooth surface. The color of the vegetable varies within a gradient from dark green to almost black.
The weight of the fetus varies from seven hundred and fifty grams to a kilogram.
It is noteworthy that in a season you can collect up to ten kilograms from one plant.
The variety has excellent taste and is also extremely productive.

How to choose

You can choose zucchini for your taste and even color

To get the maximum possible harvest of zucchini, it is important to choose the right variety, taking into account personal preferences in color.

It is also worth taking into account the following points:

When choosing a variety of zucchini for a summer house or personal plot, you should definitely take into account the climatic features of your region. Frost-resistant varieties are not afraid of temperature fluctuations, and even frost on the ground will not allow the plant to reduce fruiting. For heat-loving plants, unstable thermometer readings will have a negative impact; the plant will significantly reduce the number of fruits, and sometimes it may even die.
What purpose the fruits will serve is also important; some varieties are selected for consumption during the season, while completely different ones are planted for winter storage. They will be distinguished by taste and pulp density.
Productivity and duration of fruiting also influence the choice of variety, because the longer the bush grows, the more fruits can be collected from it.

Particular attention is paid to the ripening period; it determines how quickly you can prepare delicious zucchini dishes for yourself and your loved ones.

According to early ripening, three types of vegetables are distinguished:

early ripening
mid-season
late ripening

Considering their ripening time, zucchini lovers can ensure an almost uninterrupted supply of this vegetable. Experienced gardeners often plant at least 3-5 species with different fruiting periods, this is how the consumption of zucchini continues from early spring to late autumn, and they often use greenhouses and greenhouses.

In addition, in seed stores, sellers will offer several options for seeding material. Hybrids from foreign breeders are most valued; the huge selection will not allow you to decide right away.

Domestic varieties have fewer representatives, but even among them it is difficult to give preference to any one. Considering the great competition in this market segment, it is better to prepare in advance and study some of them yourself and make a list of those that are most suitable for you.

Grilled zucchini

Based on reviews from gardeners, it was possible to compile a small list of all those proposed, which are the most common in our country. It is these varieties and species that are preferred by amateur gardeners and farmers, for whom the harvest is important.

When making the selection, the taste qualities of each variety were taken into account; the description will explain how to properly grow and how to use ripe fruits in order to get the maximum benefit from the vegetable.

The best varieties of zucchini with high shelf life

It’s not enough to grow a crop; it still needs to be preserved. Vegetables that are best stored are those that have a high shelf life due to their varietal characteristics.

F1 Festival

The culture is used for decorative purposes, but can be eaten. The fruits are shaped like a ribbed ball or a round pumpkin. The color comes in stripes with the presence of white, orange, green and other shades. The mass of one ball is 600 g. Zucchini is used to decorate a private yard and is used for stuffing and baking in the oven. Some housewives pickle the vegetable in slices.

Aral F1

For lovers of winter preparations, the hybrid will be an excellent choice. The early harvest is harvested after 30 days. The fruits are oval-cylindrical in shape with greenish skin. A network of light veins is visible on the surface. The plant forms a neat bush, rarely susceptible to diseases and pests.

Negro

Harvest ripening begins after 40 days. Zucchini is a regular cylindrical shape, but with a very dark skin. There is an almost black tint against the green background. The fruits weigh about 1 kg. Dense thick skin helps to increase shelf life. The plant is compact, bushy, and takes up little space in the garden.

Golden Key

After harvesting, the harvest can be stored until the end of February. An early variety with a long fruiting period. Zucchini grows 18 cm long with yellow skin. The bush bears up to 5-6 fruits at a time.

Breeders are constantly developing new varieties of zucchini, often hybrids. New items have better characteristics. However, you shouldn’t forget about old proven varieties either. Sometimes they are even better, because they have already adapted to local conditions.