There is no hostess who would not cook zucchini dishes. This vegetable is grown only in the summer, but housewives who know how to store zucchini pamper the family with vitamin dishes all year round. Since this vegetable is unpretentious, there are usually no difficulties during storage. If you decide to leave a certain amount of fruits for the winter, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with the basic rules, following which you can eat fresh zucchini until spring.
Choosing a product suitable for long-term storage
The first thing to do is to choose the right fruits. Overripe specimens for storage for the winter are not suitable, choose ripe, medium-sized ones. To determine the degree of maturity, try to pierce the skin of the fruit with a fingernail: if ready, it will be impossible to do this. Save these vegetables for storage.
The surface of the fruit should be smooth, without any damage. Noticed the slightest flaw – do not take it. Such a product will not lie for a long time, after a while the damaged area will begin to rot, and this will create a danger to vegetables nearby. It is also very important that the stalks are preserved in all zucchini.
Cold storage
This method is only suitable if there is literally a few zucchini that you want to save for the winter. In the refrigerator, you can store them for six months, for this you must do the following:
- Do not wash fresh zucchini, but wipe it with a dry cloth.
- Place in a plastic bag and tie.
- Make some air holes in the bag.
- Place the vegetables in the vegetable drawer in the refrigerator.
Remember to inspect vegetables regularly, as even in cold conditions, food is not immune from rotting.
Freezer storage
What if the refrigerator is small and there is no extra space for vegetables? How to store zucchini in this case? It’s great if you have a freezer, but a standard fridge freezer will work too. This method is very convenient because the zucchini will be stored in the freezer in the form which you will use to prepare any dish.
For example, if you often make a vegetable stew to save the zucchini for the winter, cut them into cubes. If you want to freeze it in order to fry it later, cut it into circles 8-10 millimeters thick. Spread the vegetables cut in any way on a pallet and put them in the freezer for a couple of hours. After that, the tray can be removed, and the contents are decomposed into bags and returned to the freezer.
Storage of vegetables in the apartment
Zucchini can be stored right in the apartment. To do this, first, wipe the vegetables with a dry cloth. Try to carefully, without injuring the surface, remove dirt that could stick. After that, spread the clean fruits somewhere in a dry and dark place, for example, under the bed.
A pantry is also suitable: if there are free shelves, zucchini can be stored right there. Remember, in such conditions, vegetables are stored for up to three months. So try to eat them as early as possible.
Basement storage
If you live in a private house, the question is how to store zucchini. – is unlikely to occur. After all, of course, there is a cellar, and it is just the best place for storage. Moreover, no matter how many vegetables there are, there will definitely be enough space. For best results, place the zucchini in the following ways:
- In limbo. Put each zucchini in a separate grid. Hang the nets from the crossbar, close to the ceiling, while the fruits should not touch. To prevent vegetables from rotting ahead of time, try to ventilate the room as often as possible.
- In a cardboard box take any cardboard box and put the zucchini in it in one layer. Protect them from each other with cardboard partitions. The box should not be closed – vegetables should be stored open.
Whatever method you decide to use, from time to time be sure to look into the cellar and check that rot has not appeared on the vegetables.
Wherever you store zucchini at home, at the end of winter, and if you’re lucky, at the beginning of spring, vegetables will gradually begin to rot (with the exception of frozen fruits). So try to use them before that time. If there is still some left, peel, grate, or cut into cubes and send to the freezer. This is the only way to save the remaining products, otherwise, they will rot or lose their useful properties and taste.