Harvesting frozen zucchini for the winter is an easy and sure way to get a lot of nutrients in the frosty season when there is no access to fresh vegetables. In such a seemingly simple matter, there are many subtleties that you should definitely understand before freezing.
Is it possible to freeze zucchini
You can definitely freeze zucchini for the winter. There are several variations of this harvesting method. This can be either a single-component freezing, or a mixture with other products, for example, with eggplant or pepper. Such training among hostesses and owners has only positive reviews.
How to choose zucchini for harvesting for the winter
The main purpose of freezing zucchini is to preserve useful and nutritious elements for the winter season.
Before processing, you need to choose the best instances that are suitable for the following parameters:
- full ripeness;
- product freshness;
- no damage to the skin;
- soft skin, easy to pierce with a fork.
Important! It is highly undesirable to use fruits with pronounced rottenness. This is especially important when preparing blanks for baby food.
How to prepare zucchini for freezing
When suitable zucchini are selected, you can begin to prepare the product.
To do this, you need to perform the following steps step by step.
- Rinse fruits under running water.
- Dry the product until it is completely free of moisture. To do this, you can use a kitchen towel or napkin.
- Remove the stem.
- Cut off the skin with a knife or vegetable peeler.
- Cut the fruits in half lengthwise.
- Remove the central part, consisting of pulp and seeds. This step should be skipped when preparing to freeze rings.
- Plan the product.
Do I need to blanch zucchini before freezing?
Technically, zucchini can be frozen without blanching first and will be usable once thawed. This method, however, has a significant disadvantage – it is not the most pleasant taste. To avoid it, you need to blanch the fruit before cutting.
You need to do this in the following way.
- Boil water in a saucepan on the stove.
- Put the vegetable in a saucepan.
- Boil 2 minutes.
- Remove the product from the pan and cool.
Blanching allows you to leave the largest amount of useful substances in the composition of the fruit, while destroying harmful components and without worsening its taste.
Did you know? The calorie content of zucchini is only 23 kcal per 100 g. Such an energy value allows this product to be included in the dietary list.
How to freeze zucchini for the winter fresh in the freezer
For freezing to be most effective, it must be done correctly.
It is necessary to complete all the stages of preparation, including:
- selection of the best specimens;
- initial preparation;
- blanching;
- cutting;
- packing in special bags with a zip-lock or in heat-resistant food containers;
- placing vegetables in the freezer at the correct temperature.
Video: how to freeze zucchini for the winter
Temperature and storage time
For the best result, the product prepared according to all the rules should be placed in a freezer with temperature settings of -10 … -20 ° С. Under such conditions, it can be stored for no more than 10 months.
Freezing and slicing methods
Something as simple as zucchini can be used in countless recipes. The main requirement for this product in all cooking methods is its correct cutting. You should think about this at the stage of preparing the fruits for freezing, so that in the end you can immediately cook them in a convenient format.
circles
Slicing rings is ideal for subsequent roasting.
There are 2 nuances in this preparation:
- when preparing, be sure to skip the step with the cleansing of the pulp;
- You can leave the skin on, but you can peel the fruit if you want.
Cubes or cubes
Preparation in the form of cubes or sticks makes it possible to widely use the vegetable after defrosting. In this form, it can be used for stews, casseroles, mashed soups and other types of dishes.
Did you know? Zucchini contains many useful micro- and macronutrients, including vitamins A, E, C, B, beta-carotene, iron, potassium, zinc, calcium, magnesium.
When harvesting cubes or cubes, some features of this format should be taken into account:
- the peel can be left on to save time;
- the optimal thickness of individual parts is about 1 cm.
Freezing grated vegetables
Zucchini pancakes are a favorite dish of many, which, thanks to the freezing of vegetables, can be cooked not only in season, but also in winter. It is most convenient in this case to grate the fruits on a grater. Also, this method is suitable for making casseroles.
Features of blanks in this form are as follows:
- getting rid of the peel, pulp and seeds is highly desirable;
- for rubbing it is better to use a large grater.
How to freeze for baby food
The presence of freezers in modern dwellings is a real find for young parents. If the child was born in the summer, then the period of the first feeding falls on the winter, when there are practically no fresh and healthy vegetables on the shelves. You can use ready-made canned food, but it is much healthier and cheaper to freeze vegetables at home. Given that zucchini puree is considered one of the first foods for healthy complementary foods, this option would be a great option.
In preparing the blank for the baby, you need to pay attention to the following points:
- food quality is a fundamental characteristic of infant nutrition, so the choice of a suitable fetus must be treated with particular care;
- it is better to give preference to young specimens;
- be sure to remove the peel and seeds.
There are 2 options for blanks for babies:
- cubes (for further cooking and chopping during defrosting);
- in the form of puree (in this case, instead of blanching, boil the product for 10 minutes and puree with a blender).
How to defrost
When it’s time to get the blanks for consumption in the winter, it is important not to forget about the rules for defrosting.
You can do it like this:
- in the microwave in the defrost mode, determining the time based on the power of the device;
- in the refrigerator for slow defrosting, which is convenient for slow cooking;
- leaving the product at room temperature;
- in a frying pan or in a saucepan directly during cooking (convenient and time-saving when preparing stews or soups).
Important! Re-freezing zucchini after defrosting is highly discouraged. This negatively affects not only their taste, but also the quality.
Frozen fresh zucchini is a very good way to prepare a large amount of vitamins for the winter. This option is indispensable for thrifty people who value their time, and especially for young parents who want to give the baby only the most useful.
