How to choose, prepare and save zucchini until the next harvest?

By learning how to store zucchini at home, you can extend the period of use of these tasty and healthy vegetables. There are many recipes for pickled and salted zucchini, caviar and saute, which can be prepared for the winter, but the benefits of fresh vegetables are much greater. Fresh zucchini can be used for salad, make zucchini fritters, caviar, stew and many other healthy and tasty dishes that retain a delicate taste and nutrients.

How to choose zucchini for storage?

It is easier to select zucchini for storing them for storage to the owners of their own personal plot. They can foresee in advance that they will have such an event, and plant in spring or early summer a special kind of zucchini - zucchini. This species has many varieties with fruits of different colors, shapes and sizes, but they are all alike: ripe zucchini has a very hard bark, and the ripeness of these vegetables does not affect the taste of the pulp.

Tip

Before collecting zucchini for long-term storage, you do not need to water the beds with these plants, as they will be better stored.

Zucchini must be collected before the onset of frost. If you plan to buy zucchini in the market or in the store, you need to zucchini meet some requirements.

• They must be ripe. You can verify this by tapping the zucchini - a booming sound will be a characteristic sign of maturity.
• The zucchini peel should be of such a density that it was impossible to leave a trace on it with a fingernail.
• Zucchini should be no smaller than average in size, and even better if it is large. Small specimens have a chance to lose during storage most of their pulp, in other words, to dry. In addition, small fruits are rarely ripe.
• The fruit should not have cracks, scratches, signs of rot, dents, that is, a perfect appearance is required. The slightest defect will sooner or later “nullify” all efforts to store this specimen.
• It is desirable that the fruit has a long peduncle. The easiest way to ensure this condition is for those who harvest their own hands. The uncut part of the stem will protect the fetus from getting a bacterial infection.

White-fruited varieties, familiar to many gardeners and very beloved for their delicate taste, are completely unsuitable for storing fresh zucchini in the winter. Firstly, their skin does not harden and is very sensitive to injuries, and secondly, in overripe white-fruited zucchini, the flesh is suitable only for feeding farm animals.

Preparing fruits for winter bookmark

Flawless in appearance, it is desirable to withstand the fruits before storing them under the sun. This will help the skin to harden, and the fruit to dry out a bit. Then the zucchini is wiped with a dry rag from dust and soil debris. What is not recommended to be done is to wash the fruits. Such zucchini will not be stored and will quickly deteriorate.

Cellar storage

The most appropriate storage of zucchini at a temperature of 4-5 ° C. These conditions can be created if you store these vegetables in the basement or in the cellar. Before steady cold weather, such fruits can be left in a cold barn, laying them on straw or on racks in a row. During this time, you can prepare a cellar for laying vegetables.

Tip

The walls of the cellar need to be whitewashed, the room should be well ventilated, treated with smoke from a sulfuric block to prevent diseases, fungal diseases, and the spread of insects.

In the cellar, the conditions for storing fruits should be as follows:

• vegetable marrows are laid out on shelves, racks;
• cardboard, straw, dry sawdust are placed under them;
• You can put the fruits vertically;
• it is advisable that most of the time in the cellar is dark;
• fruits are often checked by discarding spoiled;
• zucchini is periodically turned over to prevent damage.

For long-term storage, vegetables should be placed away from ventilation openings and shafts, drafts, and a stream of cold air. In no case should they be placed on an earthen and sandy floor, where there is a high risk of dampness.

Home storage

For lack of a cellar, you can save zucchini in the apartment. It is advisable to put them in a cool dark place. You can put the fruits in cardboard or wooden boxes, boxes. Plastic crates are not suitable for such storage - the fruits should “breathe”. The best place for this method would be an unheated pantry, a closet in the hallway, and a vegetable compartment in the kitchen. In extreme cases, you can store vegetables in the apartment, placing them under the bed.

Tip

Place cardboard or thick paper between the rows of zucchini to protect them from spoiled "neighbors."

Preservation of darkness is necessary in order to slow down the processes of spoilage and overriding. Such a "vegetable store" in the apartment requires close attention, so that you can notice the spoiled copy in time, isolate the remaining ones from it.

Storage in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator

For a short time, zucchini can be stored in the refrigerator, and for this, white-fruit varieties are also suitable. It is possible to create these vegetables optimal storage conditions by placing them individually in a plastic bag with holes. The temperature should not be more than +5 ⁰С, washing vegetables before storage is not recommended.

How to keep zucchini frozen?

These vegetables are great for frozen storage. They do not lose their properties, while maintaining a pleasant taste. To store zucchini in a freezer, you need to cut them in advance as planned:

• for stew - in cubes;
• for fritters and adding to baking - grate;
• for cooking stuffed dishes - freeze with minced meat;
• for frying - in circles or plates.

Tip

Zucchini is conveniently stored in disposable plastic containers, designed for a separate serving for each dish, as a twice-frozen product loses its nutritional value.

In order to freeze the fruits, you need to wash them, remove the skin, remove the seeds. Before laying frozen vegetables in various dishes, you can not even defrost these semi-finished products.

How long can zucchini be kept fresh?

Under the conditions of observance of storage rules, you can use fresh zucchini until spring, and a species such as zucchini-spaghetti until June. However, at the beginning of the growing season, seeds in zucchini begin to sprout, which significantly spoils their taste and appearance. It is advisable to use fresh zucchini, stored at home or in the cellar, until February-March.

Knowing how to store zucchini, you can extend the period of use of these healthy and delicious vegetables for quite a long time.