Here is my favorite way to preserve all the squash from this season.
Zucchini and Summer Squash can have extremely large yields in a season. Leaving you squashed out and out of new ideas to use it. This is when I like to preserve it and squirrel it away until next year’s harvest. What is better than a warm loaf of Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread in the dead of winter?
Now I must be honest with all of you. I can’t take credit for these delightfully grown squashes. This year my vines (Squash, Pumpkin and Cucumber plants) succumbed to mildew and produced nothing. Luck had it that my mom’s squash flourished this year! not a spot of mildew! A special thank you to her for giving us her extras.
There are lots of ways to preserve a squash harvest, but I like to keep it as simple as possible. Simple for me is freezing shredded squash. No peeling necessary! Although if you have Crook Neck Squash you will want to peel it, as the peel is very tough. Let’s get started!
Ingredients/Tools
- Zucchini, Summer Squash, Crookneck Squash
- Vegetable Peeler (for Crookneck Squash)
- Knife
- Food Processor
- Quart Ziplocs
- Gallon Ziplocs
- Sharpie
Directions
- First you will want to clean your squash very well, make sure there is no dirt on the skins
- Cut off the stem and bottom end. At this point peel the Crookneck Squash if using.
- Once all the squash is prepped attach the shredding blade in your food processor and feed one type of squash at a time through the food processor.
- When one type of squash is shredded measure out 1 cup scoops into a quart size bag. Filling up as many bags as you can. Place your quart size bag into a gallon freezer ziploc bag and label with the type of squash inside.
- Place in your freezer to use at a later time. Will last 3-6 months in the freezer.
That is it, that is all there is to it. I like to freeze 1 cup individual portions, as I find most recipes (for baking) only use a cup per recipe, but feel free to freeze in any portion that would work best for you.
These are great to pull out for Zucchini Bread, Cheesy Crookneck Squash Beer Bread, Squash Omelet’s and Frittatas! The possibilities are endless!
