Last updated on December 2nd, 2011
WHEN READER NATASHA mentioned she has too much zucchini (sound familiar?), I offered this advice: “Don’t plant this space-hog next year. Let your neighbors shower you with THEIR surplus zucchini. Then you can give your garden space to something truly expensive — and easy to freeze — like bell peppers.” Whoops. Turns out Natasha didn’t grow this squash — her CSA did. Who can help our friend out? Got any zucchini recipes or storage tips to share?
Please post your thoughts below. I doubt Natasha is the only reader who’s being quashed by squash!
Quick update: over on Facebook, Paula Costa offered the following zucchini-storage advice: Shred 2 cups in Food processor and freeze. This is what my bread recipe calls for so I freeze 2 cups in sm. freezer bags. I have 30 bags in freezer right now…I have also thrown them in my soups in the winter. : )
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Related Posts:
How to Harvest, Cure & Store Onions
How I Freeze Kale & Other Leafy Greens
How to Grow & Store Garlic
Freezing Peaches
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Cary says
Timing is everything. The other night my daughter made the most delicious squash patties with parmesan cheese and shallots that were out of this world. The recipe is from a fabulous cookbook she found called The Simple Art of Eating Well by Jessie Price and the EatingWell Test Kitchen. Think potato pancake switching out summer squash for potato. Parm cheese takes it over the top!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Whoa, Cary – that sounds delicious!
Broken Barn Industries says
I don't have the recipe but I just had an amazing zucchini fritter from Debbie's Kitchen in Albany- mmm!
Dawn Gonano says
I just really like to saute summer squash. I do it on high heat in olive oil. The idea is to get it slightly caramelized to intensify the flavors. Adding onion and/or tomatoes doesn't hurt. Summer squash is also tasty grilled. Cut lengthwise into half-inch slices, brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and place directly on the grill. Then again, there's the old standby: zucchini bread. I don't have a recipe handy but they're easy to get a hold of.
You can also put some up for winter. I don't think it cans well, but it can be shredded or sliced thin and frozen or dried, and then put in soups or stews. If you make a lot of zuke bread you can freeze it in plastic bags as well.
If you have your own plants, you can also eat the blossoms. Wash them well, dip in batter, and fry them.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Dawn – thanks for mentioning zucchini blossoms! I happen to love them stuffed with goat cheese. Like you, I usually just sautee sliced zuke in olive oil over high heat. Delish alone or on pasta.
Terry says
This is what I did last night, but I only have approximate measurements because I do not really measure when I am “winging it”:
About 3 cups chopped zucchini, sauteed for awhile, add about 2 cups frozen corn, 1 can chopped tomatoes, 2 cups macaroni, 1 cup water, whatever seasoning. Cook until macaroni is tender. Then place 2 cups shredded cheese on top and simmer till cheese is melted. I would have added chopped onion to this except my daughter doesn't like onion, chopped peppers would have been good also but I didn't have any. I think whatever kind of vegetables you have would be good, melted cheese on top always makes anything good:)
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry- I'm with you on the melted cheese business. The recipe sounds great. But how did you manage to raise a daughter who doesn't like onions?
Terry says
Kevin I do not know how my daughter (25yrs old) came to not like onions, she even notices teeny tiny pieces! I sometimes use some onion powder and she doesn't seem to notice, but it is not the same as some nice crispy onions chunks. I don't like raw ones, but I do think some lightly cooked chunks would have been very good in this recipe.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – maybe it's the texture of onions she doesn't like? Personally, I can't stand okra. Its texture seems slimy.
Terry says
Could be the texture, and I can't stand okra either, slimy is correct.
Vicki says
Kevin, my sister developed this take on chocolate cake years ago when her kids were small and refused to try zucchini. They happily wolfed down this cake for a couple of years before realizing it had zucchini in it!
Sandy's Zucchini Chocolate Cake: 2 cps flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 cp butter, 3 squares unsweetened baking chocolate, 1 1/2 cp grated zucchini, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp baking powder, 3 large eggs. Cream the butter and sugar and add remaining ingredients bit by bit, Bake 35-40 min @ 350. Top with your favorite icing. It is spectacular.
The Japanese Redneck says
My neighbors don't garden, except for one. He would share but I don't think he grows zucchini.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Vicki – that seems wonderful. I suspect the zuke makes the cake pleasantly moist. Will try it. Soon.
The Japanese Redneck – welcome. Maybe your neighbors are waiting for YOU to grow zucchini, so you can share with them!
Anne of Khook says
My 3 zucchini plants have created a jungle of plants with an incredible bounty this year. I do most of the recipes already posted. Scooping out the inside, steaming the shell a bit and then stuffing and baking the zucchini with rice, tomato, sausage or ground beef and grated cheese on top is also good. Creative stuffing is a good way to use leftovers.
My very inventive use of large zucchini involves a friend's standard poodle who loves cooked zucchini. Dice a huge zucchini into chunks and boil them until soft. Let it cool and watch your pet enjoy this summer treat.
Sue says
I shred, “wring out,” and freeze all excess zucchini. With so much zucchini coming from the garden now, I am doing this on an almost daily basis. My favorite recipe is to saute a bit of onion or shallot in some butter. Add shredded (wrung out) zucchini and continue to saute. Add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and/or herbs as desired. Oh, and a little bit of heavy cream at this point is nice too, but not required. Mix it all together, then serve as-is or, you can put in a baking dish and top with cheese of your choice (Parmesan or Swiss works well) and broil. Yummy! (It's from Julia Child's The Way to Cook.)
sksweeps says
I saute slices of zucchini and then add a tomato glut sauce (tomatoes, shredded zucchini, onions, bell peppers, misc whatever was overwhelming me at the time… bake, run thru blender and then freeze for later – you can season when baking or leave generic to go italian or mexican or whatever when used). Top with grated parm, over rice or pasta – yum!
I also shred and freeze in zucchini bread (2 cup) quantities. It takes up less space this way, and then I can bake the bread when it's cooler, instead of in the heat of the summer!
Next year, I'm going to take your suggestion and NOT grow any!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Anne of Khook – Great ideas. I'll have to try out that last recipe on Lily the Beagle.
Sue – I have JC's The Way to Cook, but somehow missed that recipe! I'd definitely add the heavy cream 🙂
Thanks for the wringing-out tip. Makes perfect sense.
sksweeps – Tomato “glut” sauce — on my agenda now!
Anonymous says
We add it to pizza, stir fry, in spaghetti sauce, and on the grill. To grill, slice in half length-wise. Brush with olive oil, salt and pepper and place on grill. Delicious.
zehra ahmad says
zucchini chips! slice those babies with a mandolin to make quick work of a big job or you can use some good old fashioned elbow grease and slice them into very thin chips. deep fry in vegetable oil, drain on paper towels or in paper bags and season with salt and pepper. for a healthier approach feel free to saute in oil until crispy or to be even healthier toss in olive oil and sea salt and roast in the oven. I usually do it on a lower temp for a while. time and temp all depends on how thick you cut the squash and how crispy you like it.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Anonymous – Grilling zukes today. Thanks for the tip.
z – Crispy zucchini chips? Excellent!
phil m says
Do you need to blanche before freezing or is it ok just to slice and put in freezer bags?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
phil m – According to readers here, zucchini is best preserved this way:
1. Shred the squash (a food processor is useful)
2. Wring-out excess moisture
3. Freeze in zip-lock freezer bags.
No need to blanch the squash first.
872d5690-bd6a-11e0-9bd6-000bcdcb8a73 says
Hi Kevin:
Kathleen and I are going to try our hand at canning this year (we have a pear tree that is brimming with so-so fruit and thought Pear chutney would be a good use). We bought the “Ball Blue Book of Preserving” and they have a recipe for “Zucchini bread and butter pickles” and “Zucchini Chutney” that looked great (this post inspired me to check as we do not have Zucchini. Also the added benefit of canning is that the jars make lovely holiday gifts!
sksweeps says
Kevin,
Here is one tomato glut recipe:
http://www.care2.com/greenliving/oven-roasted-fresh-tomato-glut-sauce
I basically put everything I'm overwhelmed with in! Pretty quick and easy to chop everything up and throw in huge roasting pan. Including all the squash, zucchini, tomatoes… and wonderful to have during the rest of the year.
Suzanne
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Suzanne – Thanks for this. You've made a glut-fan out of me!
Cindie says
I slice zucchini 1/4 in. thick and sprinkle with sea salt or garlic salt and dehydrate them really well. I love to snack on them all year long instead of potato chips. Also fry breaded slices and also grill them. Love breaded fried blossoms too. My very picky son can’t get enough of them.
Cathy says
Don’t forget to dehydrate sliced zucchini and yellow squash as well. Store in a canning jar with a tight lid. It’s great to add into soups and stews, or to nibble instead of chips along side a sandwich. Flavor is retained without being soggy.
Marilyn Foster says
I live in Anacortes WA and my zucchini are just coming in. My family loves slices of 3-4″ diameter zukes that are dipped in beaten egg, tossed in a mixture of Italian seasoned bread crumbs and grated Parmesan, quickly fried in olive oil and butter. They are best eaten fresh, but I freeze the breaded slices on parchment lined sheet pan, bag them and put them in the freezer. The texture isn’t as firm but they still taste yummy! Zuke refrigerator pickles are quick, easy and require no canning. I’m a canner and use LOTS of zukes to make zucchini bread and butter pickles, hamburger relish, dill relish, salsa, sweet pickles spears and marmalade. Some of the recipes came from canning books, the others were Googled.
Victoria says
If a zucchini bread recipe calls for 2 cups of fresh, shredded zucchini, wouldn’t I have to add the liquid removed when “wringing out” the zucchini back into the recipe when using the “wrung out” frozen zucchini?