How to store zucchini - how much and under what conditions

Many people want to stock up on zucchini for the winter, as it is an excellent dietary product. Storing it is not at all difficult, the main thing is not to neglect any of the rules.

How to prepare zucchini for winter storage

The vegetable must be collected in early September along with the stalks. Only those copies that are free of any damage are suitable for storage. Zucchini with blemishes can be frozen. The fruits cannot be washed; they only need to be wiped with a dry towel. Then dry in the sun (especially so that the cut area dries well).

Zucchini should be transported from place to place in cardboard boxes or baskets. Before sending for storage, the stalks must be dipped in molten paraffin.

Ways to store zucchini at home

In the apartment

If you decide to store zucchini at home as a whole, not processed, then you usually choose a balcony or loggia for this. But only if the temperature stays above zero there in winter.

The bottom of the zucchini storage box must be sprinkled with sawdust or straw.Vegetables should be placed in such a way that they do not touch each other. The room should be dark and dry.

When the harvest is large, each zucchini should be wrapped in paper and placed on racks, and covered with a natural fabric blanket on top.

In one of the rooms of the apartment it is a little difficult to find a place to store zucchini. It should be as dark as possible and away from heating. The optimal temperature for proper storage of vegetables is +18 °C…+22 °C.

Zucchini will be suitable for consumption in such conditions for 2-4 months. You can extend the period to 6-7 months if:

• the fruits have a thick skin and a stalk of 10 cm;
• zucchini are not washed, but only peeled (there are situations when it is difficult to wipe off the soil with a towel);
• vegetables are placed vertically with their stalks up in a box with paper, sawdust or straw.

When you can’t place the zucchini close to each other, don’t worry too much - this is not the main point in storage.

In the cellar

This method is almost no different from the previous one. Everything is the same, only it is important not to leave zucchini, for saving, directly on the floor (and in drawers and on shelves).

In this case, another placement option is possible. Zucchini can be stored in a suspended state using a nylon stocking. Each “package” should not contain more than two copies.

How to store zucchini in the refrigerator and freezer

In a refrigeration device

In order to provide your family with fresh zucchini for 2-3 months, they can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. The fruits must be placed in paper or polyethylene bags with “homemade” holes for ventilation.

In the freezer

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This method is considered the most optimal. Before freezing, zucchini should be washed, dried and cut in any convenient way (the main thing is that the pieces are not thicker than 1 cm). Then, the slices must be placed on pallets and after 2-4 hours the finished frozen product can be moved into special sealed bags or trays. Zucchini in this form can be eaten until the new harvest season. See also: How to freeze zucchini properly.

Each method does not require any special effort. Everything is quite simple, but we should not forget that breaking any of the rules will not allow you to preserve the product for a long time.