Preserving zucchini ideas?

[johbot]

While most of you all are revelling in snow and waiting with anticipation for the shortest day of the year, I am contending with the onset of summer and the glut fromthe vegetable garden. We seem to have a lot of that wet stuff falling out of the sky making stuff grow ... hmmm. Too many years of drought to know what all that means.

But I don't want to digress (too much).

I've been researching ways to preserve zucchini and have not been happy with what I have found, so have turned to the expertise of my fellow loungers. I don't want to freeze or dry them. I've done both those in the past and have not been happy with the result. I'm also not fond of pickles.

I was hoping someone may have had some experience with preserving them in oil for antipasto and be able to report on their success or otherwise.

Any hints?

[Claude]

I slice them into little circles, put them in a jar, cover them with honey and microwave them when I need some. I'd agree, drying them isn't an option. Haven't tried the oil idea. Mind you, I really can't tell how long they are/were in the jar, but what I can tell you is that, adding some chicken stock before microwaving makes them really nice.

[johbot]

The method I am using at the moment is to slice them, salt them, and leave them under weight for 24 hours. I then drain them and let them stand under pressure again for 12 hours. Then mix with vinegar and stand for 1 hour before packing them in oil in jars.

I'll have an answer on how they taste on Thursday.

[ChrisGreaves]

The method I am using at the moment

Hi Johbot!
To my mind this method is akin to "pickling";
I thought you didn't like pickles?

[johbot]

Well ... yes .... and no.

The vinegar gets drained off the zucchini before it goes into the jars with the oil. My understanding of the preserving process is that there has to be some acid involoved to aid in keeping out the nasty things.

[Doc Watson]

Here's a couple of idea you might try...

Zuchinni Soup Recipe....

Zucchini-Pineapple
4 quarts diced or shredded zucchini
46 ounces canned unsweetened pineapple juice
1 1/2 cups bottled lemon juice
3 cups sugar
Mix ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Fill hot jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece lids and process in a boiling water bath (15 minutes for half-pints or pints).

Zucchini pickles
Yield: 4 half-pints
2 pounds zucchini, sliced (about 8 small)
1/3 pound onion, quartered and sliced (about 1 small)
1/4 cup canning salt
2 cups sugar
2 teaspoons mustard seed
1 teaspoon celery salt
1 teaspoon turmeric
3 cups vinegar
Combine zucchini and onion in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain mixture, then rinse and drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Pour vinegar mixture over zucchini and onions and let stand 2 hours. Bring all ingredients to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes. Pack hot zucchini and liquid into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps and process 15 minutes in a boiling water canner.

Zucchini relish
Yield: 4 half-pints
2 cups chopped zucchini (about 3 medium)
1 cup chopped onion (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup chopped sweet green pepper (about 1 small)
1/2 cup chopped sweet red pepper (about 1 small)
2 tablespoons salt
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup cider vinegar
2 teaspoons celery seed
1 teaspoon mustard seed
Combine zucchini, onion and peppers in a large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and cover with cold water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain mixture, then rinse and drain again. Combine remaining ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add vegetables and simmer 10 minutes. Pack hot relish into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece lids and process 10 minutes in a boiling water canner.

To freeze slices
Choose young, tender zucchini. Wash and cut in ½-inch slices. Blanch in boiling water for 3 minutes. Cool promptly in ice-cold water before draining and packaging in freezer bags or containers, leaving ½-inch headspace. Seal and freeze.

To freeze grated
Choose young, tender zucchini. Wash and grate zucchini, then steam blanch in small batches for 1 to 2 minutes. For use in recipes, pack measured amounts into containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cool by placing the containers in cold water. Seal and freeze. If zucchini is watery when thawed, discard the liquid before use.

According to http://pickyourown.org there are two ways to store and or preserve zucchini summer squash:
If you want to store/preserve grated zucchini for chocolate zucchini muffins, zucchini carrot cinnamon yogurt muffins, zucchini bread, zucchini pancakes or any recipe that you would use grated zucchini here’s how you would preserve it:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil with a steamer insert that can sit inside the pot
Grate the amount of zucchini you would like to preserve. Just enough to drop into the steamer basket.
Once the pot is steaming drop the zucchini into the steam basket for 1-2 minutes, until translucent.
Pack the steamed and grated zucchini into containers or zipper plastic bag in the sizes that you might use most in baking ( 1-2 cup per container/bag).
Cool by placing them in containers of cold ice water.
Once cool, label, date, seal and freeze.

For sliced zucchini/summer squash for casseroles or simple steamed veggies as a side dish:
Get a large pot of boiling water ready ( about 2/3 filled). And get a large bowl of ice and water ready to recieve the squash after blanching. To stop the cooking wash the squash, cut it into 1/4-1/8th inch rounds and drop it into the boiling water. Only slice as much zucchini/summer squash that would fit into your bowl. Zucchini/Summer squash oxidizes if its left out too long. Set your timer for 3 minutes.
Once three minutes has passed using a slotted spoon grab the zucchini/summer squash and plung it into the ice water bath in the bowl. Add more ice as needed to keep the squash cool.
Repeat steps 2 and 3. Once you have started your next batch of zucchini/summer squash. You can do this up to 5 times for each with the same water. Refill water as needed to keep pot 2/3 full.
Once the zucchini in your ice water bath as cooled your squash (about 5 minutes ) drain the squash in a strainer for 2-3 minutes to dry them as much as possible.
Once the squash is thoroughly drained pack these babys in ziploc bags or a vaccum sealer bags. For ziploc bags get as much air out as you can and seal until almost closed then using a straw to suck the remaining air out and then seal closed.

Zucchini Carrot Cinnamon Yogurt Muffins
Ingredients:
2/3 cup organic coconut oil or grassfed butter or organic applesauce
2 large pasture raised/free range organic eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 tbsp vanilla or plain yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-1/2 cups whole wheat organic pastry flour or
organic white whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups finely shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/2 cup finely shredded carrot
1/2 cup toasted, finely chopped walnuts or pecans
Topping:
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp organic sugar
Preparation:
1. Grease and flour 12 muffin cups. Heat oven to 375°.
2. In a mixing bowl, beat the oil with eggs, sugar, yogurt, and vanilla extract.
3. Combine the flour, soda, baking powder, salt, nutmeg and cinnamon; add to the wet ingredients; stirring until blended. Fold in the shredded zucchini, carrots and nuts.
4. Fill muffin cups about 3/4 full; sprinkle with cinnamon sugar or granulated sugar, if desired. Bake for 20 minutes.
Makes 12.
Here are 5 ways to preserve zucchini and use up your crop.
Freeze
Depending on your favorite dishes, different methods of freezing can be used. I tend to just slice up zucchini, put it in a freezer bag, and be done with it. The slices are perfect for adding to dishes and you don't even have to defrost them first if you're adding them to a hot pan.
Bake Bread
I love the first loaf of zucchini bread of the season. Past the fifth loaf, though, it loses its appeal. Just the same, I bake up several loaves of zucchini bread every summer and just tuck them into the freezer for whenever I need a treat later in the year.
Make Chips
Zucchini chips can be a tasty and healthy snack and they're very easy to make. Slice the zucchini very thin, sprinkle lightly with your favorite flavorings, and dehydrate for a few hours. Provided that your chips are crisp, you can keep them for quite a while.
Pickle
While canning can take a little work, zucchini pickles make for a great treat and can be eaten in place of cucumber pickles. You can also make zucchini relish.
Dehydrate
By simply dehydrating zucchini (and leaving of the spices), you've got easy soup or casserole ingredients that can be stored in your pantry. Just drop them into a dish with plenty of liquid when you're ready to use them.

Try preserving it in the following way...
Freezing - Select squash when 5 to 7 inches long and rind is tender and seeds small. Simply wash and cut in pieces. Blanch 1/4-inch slices 3 minutes and 1 1/2-inch slices for 6 minutes. Chill immediately in ice water, pack in freezer containers, date and freeze.

[DaveA]

You need to check out "1001 things to do with excess zucchini" at http://www.theeasygarden.com/forum/view ... pid=263465" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[johbot]

Thanks Doc, there's plenty there. I had found a lot of those ideas from my Googling. One of my problems is that I have limited freezer space, but am fortunate enough to have a cellar under my house with plenty of shelving. So I need ideas that preserve without long term electricity.

Thanks, too, DaveA. It was fun reading through those lists. I do have neighbours who appreciate the produce, but I would still like to find a way to preserve some for those [supposedly] long winter months.

So far, I have made one jar of the zucchini under oil that I mentioned.

The other thing I have done in past years is to make a salad with char grilled sliced zucchini that I then marinade in a good french dressing laced with lashings of baked garlic. I might have to experiment to see how long this will last in jars. At the beginning of the season it doesn't last long in the fridge, but then the household gets sick of it and wants me to move on to the other garden produce.

[Skitterbug]

I don't want to freeze or dry them. I've done both those in the past and have not been happy with the result.

We tried drying a few zucchinis just to see what they would be like. After slicing them, they dried nicely into little pieces but I haven't a clue what to do with them now? Maybe I'll try tossing some into a veggie soup and see what happens?

What happened that you didn't care for drying them?

[Argus]

While most of you all are revelling in snow and waiting with anticipation for the shortest day of the year, I am contending with the onset of summer and the glut fromthe vegetable garden.[...]
I've been researching ways to preserve zucchini and have not been happy with what I have found, so have turned to the expertise of my fellow loungers. I don't want to freeze or dry them. [...]

I guess you could also save some of them, if some bears decide to come around.

[johbot]

Hi Skitter,

Last time I dried them, I had heaps and then just didn't use them. I found that they didn't cook up as I had expected and I wasn't happy with the result. It didn't help that Mr Johbot didn't think much of them.

I've had a taste test of my first experiment and I like them. I've managed to give away my harvest from the last few days, so next week I will experiment with my char grilling technique and see how long they will last.

[johbot]

Argus,

More likey one of these http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drop_bear bears

[Skitterbug]

Hi Skitter,

Last time I dried them, I had heaps and then just didn't use them. I found that they didn't cook up as I had expected and I wasn't happy with the result. It didn't help that Mr Johbot didn't think much of them.

I have been considering this same problem - not being pleased with the resulting product - so that's the reason I've been slow to try using the batch that I dried and have available. If I ever do use them, I'll report back what I think!

[jmt356]

My great grandmother used to dig up a hole in the ground and bury excess fruits and vegetables there until they were ready to be eaten, because shortly after harvest the ground would freeze over and preserve the vegetables until spring. But that was before refrigeration and it was in southern Turkey and I imagine that won't help you much.

[HansV]

Hopefully they tasted better than Icelandic Hákarl (buried shark).

[Skitterbug]

Hopefully they tasted better than Icelandic Hákarl (buried shark).

I wonder how this - "The shark itself is poisonous when fresh due to a high content of uric acid and trimethylamine oxide, but may be consumed after being processed (see below)" - was determined and then how did someone figure out that the preserving method would make the fish safe to eat?

[Argus]

I guess as with many (most) things in our history; by mistakes (and in the best cases: trial and error ).

Someone buried it (to get rid of it) and then someone found it ... survived, and could tell the others about the, ehm, delicious fish. No, I don't know; but a lot of discoveries are made by mistakes.

[viking33]

I guess as with many (most) things in our history; by mistakes (and in the best cases: trial and error ).

Someone buried it (to get rid of it) and then someone found it ... survived, and could tell the others about the, ehm, delicious fish. No, I don't know; but a lot of discoveries are made by mistakes.

I don't usually post in the Cooking Forum but noticed this thread as I passed by.
At least in my neck of the woods, there are two items in over abundance in the summer time.
1.Zucchini
2.Blue fish

Buried, seems to be the best solution to both of these things.
Buried Blues are good for fertilizer or to keep other animals away from digging at the GOOD items in the garden beds.
Dried and\or buried zucchini are good as either fence posts or as baseball bats.

[Argus]

Aren't we two adding lots of value to this, not so often frequented, forum?

[viking33]

Aren't we two adding lots of value to this, not so often frequented, forum?

QUALITY, Argus, QUALITY!