Zucchini and summer squash are one of those summer veggies that we always have a lot of so years ago I figured out how to preserve them so the surplus wouldn’t go to waste. I’ve tried several methods of preserving zucchini and summer squash but the method I’m going to share with you today is the only successful way I’ve been able to preserve them-and I’ve definitely had a few failures!
How to Preserve Zucchini and Summer Squash by Freezing
When planning to preserve zucchini and summer squash, I mix the two together if I have both on hand. They are similar enough vegetables that they work interchangeably in the recipes I use them for when preserving them. Today we preserved a big pile of beautiful green zucchini from my friend’s farm down the road. Last year I preserved a mixture of zucchini, yellow summer squash and patty pan squash.
- Step 1: Wash the zucchini and summer squash to remove any dirt and debris.
- Step 2: Cut off the top stem and the bottom where the blossom was attached.
- Step 3: Shred the zucchini and squash (this is where my beloved food processor like this one comes in handy!)
- Step 4: Package the shredded zucchini in air tight bags (we use a vacuum sealer like this one and love it!) I fill each bag with two cups of shredded zucchini/summer squash since that is the usual amount needed for my recipes
- Step 5: Label the bags with the type of veggie, quantity and the year and store them in the freezer.
How to Use Preserved Frozen Zucchini and Summer Squash
We have numerous recipes we love to use our preserved zucchini in.
- Zucchini Carrot Muffins make a great healthy breakfast or snack food.
- Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread is so yummy and was a big hit at a recent potluck we attended.
- Our family’s Quiche Recipe is a great one to add preserved zucchini to
- Garden Fresh Veggie Scramble is a delicious breakfast that is quick and easy to prepare
My Zucchini and Summer Squash Preserving Failures
In my early days of trying to figure out how to preserve zucchini and summer squash, I experimented with different methods. I love fried sliced zucchini so I tried slicing zucchini and freezing it. It froze fine, but when it thawed they were a soggy, slimy, unappetizing mess that ended up in the compost bin!
I had the same slimy result when I tried to freeze a zucchini just sliced once down the middle long ways frozen. One thing I never tried was canning zucchini- I can’t even imagine the mushy mess it would turn into from all that cooking time in the canning process!
I’ve heard of people dehydrating zucchini but I have yet to try it. Here’s a tutorial from Joybille Farm explaining how to dehydrate zucchini if you want to give it a try.
I use frozen grated zucchini and frozen diced tomatoes to make and can salsa in the middle of winter when I’m not so busy.
That’s a great idea, thanks for sharing!
I have more success with dehydrating zucchini. I grate it and also slice it to use in casseroles.
That’s a great idea to slice it and dehydrate it since it would be useful in more recipes than just shredded zucchini. We have a lot of freezer space so I tend to preserve by freezing instead of drying but may have to give this a try!
Love the dehydrating method, thanks for sharing.
I spiralized my zucchini, that works great for my family because we try to low carb a lot, but when I put it in the food saver bags and tried to vacuum the air out it would not seal because so much water was coming out, I had to keep wiping the water out of the machine and after about 6 times of sealing it finally sealed, but was a lot of mess to deal with, so the next time I just put the spiralized zucchini in a gallon bag and got as much air out as possible. Did you have any problem like this???
This is a great question and yes, we’ve had this issue before when vacuum sealing anything that has moisture in it. We quickly figured out what to do since it was frustrating to deal with. Our method is to put the bag in place, push the button to start the vacuum seal process and carefully watch the bag. As you see it sucking out air, watch the moisture start moving up the bag. As soon as the moisture is being sucked up close to the top of the bag we quickly hit the “seal” button on our vacuum sealer. This stops the vacuum from sucking anymore and overrides it to immediately seal it before the moisture gets into the top of the bag where you want to seal. The bag doesn’t get air sucked out as well as something with no moisture but it is better than just trying to press air out of a standard zip close plastic bag. I hope this helps and good luck!
If you grate zucchini for muffins, do you drain them before using? Last year I grated and froze them and drained before making muffins and the muffins were so dry that I had to throw them out.