Saving Zucchini?

So I planted some zucchini for the BN this summer, well I have heaps and heaps of zucchini. Stuff grows like weeds! Do any of you have any recommendations on how to save it to use throughout the winter? Canning? Freezing? Thanks for any tips!

Geezer204 wrote:

So I planted some zucchini for the BN this summer, well I have heaps and heaps of zucchini. Stuff grows like weeds! Do any of you have any recommendations on how to save it to use throughout the winter? Canning? Freezing? Thanks for any tips!

I would say freezing it as other methods of preservation might add nasties such as salt etc that would at best make it unpalatable to your Bristlenose or even harm them.

freezing will pop all the cells and turn it too mush

not sure how

Couldn't you dry them like herbs and when you put into tank wouldn't that rehydrate it I'm thinking. I could be wrong.

Doug wrote:

freezing will pop all the cells and turn it too mush

not sure how

Freezing causes the cells that contain water to built crystals that expand (that is why ice floats) and hence fracture the cell walls.
You are right freezing could be a problem. But maybe enough of the integrity could be preserved to feet it to Bristlenose. I will give it a try but I suspect you are right.
Maybe it is the best of bad solutions.
Marty

Freezing is always an issue with any fruit or veg even for companies that do it for humans. The higher the water content of the product the worse the result, generally. The process that companies use to lower the amount of cellular damage is called flash freezing, there are 2 ways that products are flash frozen, either they are bathed in Liquid Nitrogen or exposed to -30 deg to rapidly lower the temperature of the food. There are several things that can be done by someone at home. Don't try to freeze the entire zucchini, slice it into pieces that are less than 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate the zucchini until it drops to the temp of your fridge then dry the exterior of the slices and place the slices on a metal cookie sheet that has been in the freezer. *edit* (forgot somthing important) put the cookie sheet with the zucchini back in the freezer till they are frozen. This will give you the best chance IME to lessen the damage that naturally occurs. After they are frozen you can just bag them up and keep them in the freezer. If you can get liquid nitrogen you can really get the job done but that is a little extreme, though I know how to do it if need be. DLJ

dlj76us wrote:

Freezing is always an issue with any fruit or veg even for companies that do it for humans. The higher the water content of the product the worse the result, generally. The process that companies use to lower the amount of cellular damage is called flash freezing, there are 2 ways that products are flash frozen, either they are bathed in Liquid Nitrogen or exposed to -30 deg to rapidly lower the temperature of the food. There are several things that can be done by someone at home. Don't try to freeze the entire zucchini, slice it into pieces that are less than 1/4 inch thick. Refrigerate the zucchini until it drops to the temp of your fridge then dry the exterior of the slices and place the slices on a metal cookie sheet that has been in the freezer. This will give you the best chance IME to lessen the damage that naturally occurs. After they are frozen you can just bag them up and keep them in the freezer. If you can get liquid nitrogen you can really get the job done but that is a little extreme, though I know how to do it if need be. DLJ

Hi;
Awesome answer. That explains it no worries.
I will give that a go.
Marty

What about blanching* them? This is what cooks do to keep frozen food from breaking down. I haven't tried it myself with courgettes but nothing to lose.

* plunging into boiling water for a couple of minutes. I suggest slicing, put in a colander and plunge into a boiling saucepan of unsalted water. Then freeze seperately on a tray.
Cookery lesson over LOL