Preserving food is a great way to save money. Whether you are growing your own produce or getting a good deal at the store or farmer’s market, it’s a great idea to prevent waste and to have inexpensive summer produce for use during the winter. Find your local farmer’s markets at localharvest.org.
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Read more: Grocery Savings During COVID, Surviving a Financial Crisis, and Earth Day Tips on Utilities.
Food preservation includes freezing, canning, dehydrating, pickling and fermenting. Today, I’m freezing shredded summer squash and zucchini and I want to share how to freeze zucchini.
Unlike freezing produce that requires blanching first, shredded zucchini requires very little prep so you can freeze many containers in a couple hours or just a few in much less time.
I have always used a box grater for zucchini, on the largest holed side. That works great if you have a couple small squash. You can also use a spiralizer if you have one. But with the size and number of squash I’m putting up today, I’m pulling out the food processor!
Instructions for How to Freeze Zucchini
The first step is to thoroughly rinse your squash. Even organic produce can have insect residue. If there are any spots that look unappetizing, go ahead and cut those out.
When using a box grater, I leave the stem on the zucchini to give me something to hold onto when I get down to the end. No finger grating please! When using a food processor, I cut the ends, then cut the squash into smaller pieces that will fit in the processor.
It’s up to you if you want to use the pithy center of the squash and the seeds but I usually remove that part. You can add it to your compost, though I can now feed some of it to my chickens!!
Over ripe squash needed to be peeled but still tasted good, even raw 
Some seeds are ok but not from this over ripe squash 
Zucchini shredded in a food processor
Draining the Zucchini
Now that you have grated zucchini, it’s time to drain it. Squash contains a large amount of water that can change the consistency of whatever you make with it. I know people who freeze without draining, but it’s not my preference.
My decades-old personal method is to put the shreds in a container with a folded paper towel on top (one of the very few ways I’ll use paper towels). Then I turn the container upside down and put it in the refrigerator over night. The next day the towel will be soaked and the zucchini will be much drier.
Since I want to shred and freeze today, I’m using a different method. I line a bowl with a fresh tea towel and put the shredded squash on top. Gather up the short sides first and then the corners of the tea towel and twist the towel until it firmly holds all the zucchini shreds. Then, by twisting more and squeezing the sides, you can release a significant amount of the juice.
Put shredded zucchini in the towel in the bowl 
Twist the towel tighter and squeeze the shredded zucchini to release the liquid 
You can use the towel multiple times
That juice is full of vitamins, so don’t waste it! You can add it to soups or sauces, or dilute it with water to give to your plants.
All my squash yielded nearly 2 cups of liquid 
Measure your shredded squash gently packed 
Ready for the freezer, bagged, flattened and labeled
Packaging and labeling Zucchini
Next, measure your zucchini shreds and pack into zip lock freezer bags. I’m freezing it in 2 cup batches because that’s what my favorite zucchini muffin recipe calls for.
Once you load your bags, lay them flat and press the zucchini so it lays flat too. This will make it easier to store in your freezer. Remove more air if possible before putting your finished product in the freezer.
I love to bake in the winter. It’s comforting, warms the house up, and the results are delicious! In the summer I don’t want to turn on the oven and heat up the house, only to use more electricity to cool the house down again with air conditioning. By freezing squash when it’s fresh and available, I have the best of both worlds: summer zucchini in winter made recipes.
What’s your favorite zucchini recipe? Please share in the comments and subscribe to my newsletter here.
I am eagerly awaiting these muffins come winter break!
I better publish the recipe too!
You always give instructions that are easy to understand.
Thank you Lynn! I try!