Yes I have picked 9 more zucchinis since the first three I picked last Wednesday. I picked two more on Thursday, three more yesterday and four today. Two went into my freezer, and three were eaten on the fourth of July which leaves seven in my refrigerator right now! At least there were seven earlier this evening. There are less now because I made something with two of them. However I won't get to try it until tomorrow so I'm waiting to post about it until then.
I have also started picking bush beans. Yea! I picked ten beans yesterday and then 26 beans today. I also picked one lonely strawberry which looked really pretty however something took a bite out of one side so I won't get to eat it. Sad...
Anyway back to the zucchini. So the two that I froze...how did I do that? It was actually really easy. I followed the instructions provided by Pick Your Own.
First you need to assemble all the equipment: big pot, big bowl filled with cold water and ice, knife and cutting board, slotted spoon, freezer bags or food saver with bags, and a sharpie.
1. Get some zucchini and wash it.
2. Bring a big pot of water to a full rolling boil.
3. Cut zucchini into slices or spears once water is boiling.
4. Immediately put cut zuchinni into boiling water (don't cut too far ahead of time and only cut enough zucchini for one blanching at a time)
5. Start timer immeditely - boil for three minutes
6. Remove zucchini from boiling water and place into bowl with ice water (prevents overcooking). Leave zucchini in the ice bath until cool, about five minutes
7. Remove zucchini from ice bath and put in strainer to drain for 2-3 minutes
8. Label freezer bags with "Zucchini" and the date
9. Put zucchini into bags and seal, removing as much air as possible.
The boiling followed by a rapid cool down is called blanching. Blanching veggies before you freeze them helps them to stay fresher longe.
I can't vouch yet for how the zucchini taste after they have been frozen and then thawed. I can say that this is a very easy process and does not take up much time at all. You don't have to have a mountain of zucchini either. The process is so simple and quick that it's worth it for only a couple zucchinis.
3 comments:
I am fast approaching zucchini overload, too but I preserve the excess slightly differently. I peel then shred the zucchini with my Kitchen Aid. I put the shreds in zip lock freezer bags then put them in the freezer. I use zucchini year round as a secret ingredient in meatloaf and Gingerbread! It keeps both moist, makes them healthier and doesn't overshadow any of the flavors.
Hi Pat - I have actually preserved zucchini this way too in the last few days. I wanted to try freezing it a few different ways to see what works best. I hand shred it with a box grater and then freeze it in 2-4 cup increments. I planned to use it to make zucchini bread in the winter. I really like your idea of adding it to meatloaf though! I'll have to try that on a snowy winter evening.
This year I am slicing the zucchini in long thing slices (basically cutting it lengthwise in thin slabs) and grilling it on stovetop griddle. The slabs are then frozen individually on cookie sheets, and then placed together in a freezer bag. I have NO idea of how these will taste come january, but it's my favourite way to eat it so why not try?!
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