Zucchini, like many vegetables, is a universal product. You can eat it raw, boiled, fried, as well as bake pies, muffins and cakes with it. And these are not all the ways of its culinary processing. Of course, when you have in your hands a rich harvest of zucchini, I want to keep it as long as possible. And there are many ways to do this.
Pick your recipe
You will need
- Zucchini Jam
- - 1 kg of squash;
- - 6 glasses of sugar;
- - 3 large lemons;
- - 4 teaspoons of dried ginger.
Instruction manual
1
For storage, choose zucchini from 15 to 45 centimeters in length, with shiny skin not damaged.
2
Indoor storage
Store zucchini at room temperature in a dimly lit or dark place, previously wrapped in perforated plastic wrap. The most important thing to watch out for is the humidity in the room. The optimal humidity for storing this vegetable is 60%. You do not need to wash the squash before sending it to storage. In this form, the vegetable can lie down to six months. It is best to take late varieties, with a thick skin.
3
Cold storage
Whole zucchini should not be stored in the refrigerator due to high humidity. If you have no other choice, then keep in mind that the shelf life will be reduced to two weeks. Put the zucchini in the vegetable compartment and make sure that there are no avocados, melons, pears and apples, as well as peppers and tomatoes. They secrete ethylene, the “ripeness hormone, ” which can reduce the shelf life of a zucchini to a widow, if not threefold.
Cut zucchini is stored in plastic bags, not more than two to three days.
4
Freezing
To freeze zucchini, they need to be washed and cut into slices, 1-2 centimeters wide. Make a pot of boiling water and the same wide pot of cold water in which you should put clean ice. Blanch the zucchini - dip the slices in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and then immediately immerse in ice water. After that, put the vegetables in a colander or on a wire rack so that the glass is excess liquid. Then you can remove the slices in zip bags or special containers and place them in the freezer. Frozen squash is stored for 9 to 14 months.
5
Canning
Many people know that savory and pickled zucchini makes a savory snack. No less fans and canned squash caviar. But the delicate, fragrant, golden squash jam is a recipe known to not many.
Peel the zucchini from the skin and seeds, cut into cubes and pass through a meat grinder. Mix the resulting mass with sugar and leave overnight. The next day, place the zucchini with sugar in a pan with a thick bottom. Remove the zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice, add these ingredients to the zucchini, put the ginger. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until the jam becomes clear and thick. Pour into sterilized jars, cover with food parchment and cover with lids.