Well the old versatile standby garden vegetable zucchini is rolling in with all its abundant glory and if you can’t find enough recipes to cook with it quickly enough, perhaps you could consider freezing shredded zucchini. Surprisingly, I didn’t harvest enough last year to save for throughout the off season, but thankfully things are going much better this year!
I’m freezing this beautiful bright mild-flavored veggie nearly every day with a few to spare for recipes and I’m following a method that is simple, requires no blanching which helps with nutrient retention, and stacks nicely in the freezer to economize space.
If you select modestly sized vegetables, the flavor is not only superior, but you don’t have to deal with a large seed core. But I’ve learned to just shred around the core to make use of the monster zucchini that always seem to come out of hiding.
Freezing Shredded Zuccini
Wash the zucchini, removing the ends.
Shred zucchini, skins and all.
Sprinkle with salt to draw out the liquid. Drain in a colander for half an hour and then extract the remaining liquid by squeezing it through cheesecloth. (I don’t have any cheesecloth so I use a scrap piece of gauze fabric that I wash and reuse.)
Measure out in even cupfuls. This seemingly unnecessary step is crucial if you’re concerned about conserving freezer space and neatness.
Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Squish into a flat square or enlist your children to do the same and neatly fold up in the plastic wrap.
Arrange on a baking dish and freeze until firm.
Bag and label as desired.
Easy as pie, right?
Great timing, our garden is thriving!! Thank you! Kelli
This is a great idea! Found you on Pinterest and will be trying this with our abundance of delicious zucchini!
I also freeze zucchini -shred, portion out however u need – put in zip lock bags flatten out & put in freezer- when using for baking thaw out in a strainer, catching the liquid for soups etc..
Do you leave the salt on or rinse it off before freezing?
I leave it. And by leave, I mean “leave” because it seems to get drained away when you squeeze out all the liquid in that step. You could always taste a pinch to see if you think it’s too salty and then rinse it off and squeeze again. I’ve never had a problem with recipes being too salty because of the zucchini. Hope that helps!
Thank you for this! I have been wanting to freeze some of my zucchini and this is a great article!