Preservation: How To Freeze Zucchini Slices

In thinking of ways to preserve zucchini from my garden in different ways, I decided that I would try freezing zucchini into slices. The process that you will read about in the following post is simple, effective, and is a great way to keep those garden zucchini harvests fresh to enjoy at a later date!

*derived and modified from downshiftology.com

Directions:

• Thoroughly wash/rinse the outside of whole zucchini to remove any dirt or debris.

• Cut ends off of zucchini and slice into ~ 1/4’’ slices.

• Blanch the zucchini slices to deactivate enzymes, which prevents it from becoming discolored and mushy when frozen. Complete blanching by adding zucchini slices to a pot of boiling water for 1 minute (do NOT add salt to the water).

• After 1 minute of blanching, use a slotted spoon to transfer the blanched zucchini into an ice water bath, which is simply a pot/bowl of cold water and ice cubes. Allow the zucchini slices the ice water bath for 2 minutes.

• Drain the zucchini slices from the ice water bath and place it onto paper towels or dish towels , then blot it dry.

• Pre-freeze the zucchini by placing the slices onto a baking sheet (not touching one another) for 1-2 hours, or until its frozen. This ensures that the zucchini will not freeze together into one big clump.

• Remove zucchini from baking sheet when it is frozen and place into freezer bags. You may store this in your freezing for up to one year!