Harvesting frozen zucchini for the winter is an easy and sure way to get a large amount 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 deal with before freezing.

Can zucchini be frozen

Zucchini for the winter can definitely be frozen. There are several variations of this procurement method. This can be either a single-component freezing, or the preparation of a mixture with other products, for example, eggplant or pepper. Such training among housewives and hosts has only positive reviews.

How to choose zucchini for harvesting for the winter

The main goal of freezing zucchini is to preserve healthy and nutritious elements for the winter season.

Before processing, you need to select the best instances that are suitable for the following parameters:

• full ripeness;
• product freshness;
• lack of damage to the skin;
• soft peel, easy to pierce with a fork.

Important! It is highly undesirable to use fruits with pronounced decay. This is especially important when preparing blanks for baby food.

How to prepare zucchini for freezing

When the appropriate zucchini is selected, you can begin to prepare the product.

To do this, step by step follow these steps.

1. Rinse fruits under running water.
2. Dry the product until it is completely free of moisture. To do this, you can use a kitchen towel or napkin.
3. Remove the stem.
4. Cut the skin with a knife or peeler.
5. Cut the fruit in half lengthwise.
6. Remove the central part consisting of pulp and seeds. This step should be skipped in preparation for ring freezing.
7. Flannel the product.

Do zucchini need to be blanched before freezing

Technically, zucchini can be frozen without prior blanching and they will be suitable for use after defrosting. This method, however, has a significant minus - this is not the most pleasant taste. To avoid it, before cutting, you need to blanch the fruits.

This should be done as follows.

1. Boil water in a pan on the stove.
2. Put the vegetable in the pan.
3. Boil for 2 minutes.
4. Remove the product from the pan and refrigerate.

Blanching allows you to leave the largest number of nutrients in the composition of the fetus, while destroying harmful components and without compromising its taste.

Did you know? The calorie content of zucchini is only 23 kcal per 100 g. This energy value allows you to include this product in the list of dietary.

How to freeze zucchini for the winter fresh in the freezer

In order for the freezing to be the most effective, it is necessary to carry it out correctly.

It is necessary to complete all stages of preparation, including:

• selection of the best copies;
• primary training;
• blanching;
• cutting;
• packing in special packages with zip-lock or in heat-resistant food containers;
• placing vegetables in the freezer at the right temperature.

Video: how to freeze zucchini for the winter

Temperature and shelf life

For the best result, the product prepared in accordance with all the rules should be placed in the freezer with temperature settings of –10 ...– 20 ° С. Under such conditions, it can be stored for no more than 10 months.

Methods of freezing and slicing

A simple product like zucchini can be used in countless recipes. The main requirement for this product in all cooking methods is its proper slicing. 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

Cutting rings is ideal for subsequent frying.

There are 2 nuances in such a workpiece:

• when preparing, be sure to skip the step with peeling from the pulp;
• the peel can not be removed, but if desired, you can peel the fruit.

Cubes or cubes

The preparation in the form of cubes or sticks makes it possible to widely use the vegetable after defrosting. As such, it can be used for stews, casseroles, mashed soup 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 preparing cubes or cubes, some features of this format should be taken into account:

• the peel can not be removed to save time;
• the optimum thickness of the individual parts is about 1 cm.

Grated vegetables

Zucchini pancakes are a favorite dish of many, which, thanks to the freezing of vegetables, can be prepared not only in season but also in winter. In this case, it is most convenient to grate the fruits on a grater. Also, this method is suitable for cooking casseroles.

Features of the blanks in this form are as follows:

• getting rid of peel, pulp and seeds is very desirable;
• for rubbing it is better to use a coarse grater.

How to freeze for baby food

The presence of freezers in modern homes is a real find for young parents. If the baby was born in the summer, then the period of the first feeding comes in 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 more useful and cheaper to freeze vegetables at home. Given that zucchini puree is considered one of the first products for healthy complementary foods, this option will be an excellent solution.

In preparing a blank for an infant, you need to pay attention to the following points:

• product quality is a fundamental characteristic of infant nutrition, so the choice of a suitable fetus must be treated with great 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 grinding during defrosting);
• in the form of a puree (in this case, instead of blanching, it is necessary to boil the product for 10 minutes and puree with a blender).

How to defrost

When it is time to get the blanks for winter use, it is important not to forget about the rules for defrosting.

You can make it as follows:

• in the microwave during defrosting, determining the time based on the power of the device;
• in the refrigerator for slow defrosting, which is convenient when cooking dishes for a short time;
• leaving the product at room temperature;
• in a pan or in a pan directly when cooking dishes (convenient and economical in time when cooking stew or soup).

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 method 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.