Zucchini in its popularity can only be compared with potatoes. They are added to pies and casseroles, stuffed and fried. They have many nutrients, but they are hypoallergenic. Zucchini is even recommended as a first food for babies from 4 months. But, like all vegetables, its season is limited to the summer months. And the rest of the time, finding fresh zucchini is very difficult, and they will cost much more. True, in order to treat yourself to delicious dishes from this vegetable in the winter, you only need to have a freezer at home and know how to freeze zucchini for the winter.
Medium-sized, thin-skinned fruits are best suited for these purposes. Therefore, the preparation of zucchini is best done in the middle of the season, when they are not too large, but the prices are already quite reasonable. But very young squash will not work, because they have too much moisture. In the freeze, you need to select the best vegetables without damage. It is desirable that the seeds are still medium-sized. If, however, they are too large, it is better to remove them first. Before freezing zucchini for the winter, you need to wash them well and dry them with a towel to remove excess moisture.
Next, you need to cut the zucchini. If they are supposed to be used for soups or making baby puree, you can cut into medium cubes. Fold in a plastic bag, remove excess air and close. You can also use plastic containers. They not only look more aesthetically pleasing, but also save space in the freezer. For baby food, you can still just grate it on a coarse grater, just squeeze out excess juice a little.
But this is not the only option on how to freeze zucchini for the winter. They can be cut into circles with a thickness of 1.5-2 cm. So that after defrosting they are not rubber and tasteless, it is advisable to pre-blanch them for 3-4 minutes. Or you can fry a little on each side to a light golden color. Then dry, put on a plate or baking sheet covered with polyethylene. If there are many zucchini, you can do this in several layers. As soon as the vegetables are covered with hoarfrost, put them in a dry container and send them to the freezer for several months.
All of these methods suggest that vegetables will be used for either soups or casseroles. And how to freeze zucchini for the winter, so that you can make delicious pancakes from them? To do this, you need to peel the vegetables, remove the seeds and rub on a coarse grater with carrots. Vegetables are best taken in a one to one proportion. Squeeze out excess moisture, put in a bag and put in the freezer. In winter, it remains only to defrost, add spices, flour and egg. These pancakes will not differ from those made from fresh vegetables.
For those who follow their figure, there is another way of how to freeze zucchini for the winter so that they are delicious. It is necessary to add chopped dill to diced fruits. This semi-finished product can not only be used for vegetable stews and soups, but also as an independent dish. Without defrosting, put the zucchini in a preheated and oiled pan, warm it up a bit and add yogurt, salt, and spices. Bring to a boil, and a delicious side dish is ready for meat.
There are many ways to make frozen zucchini at home . A recipe that would suit everyone just doesn't exist. Depending on the purpose for which vegetables are frozen, you need to choose a method of harvesting.