Freezing zucchini - this keeps the vegetables fresh

Courgettes are a real seasonal vegetable that can be harvested in the home garden between July and October. To preserve them for the rest of the year, you can easily freeze them. That's the way to go!

Freezing raw zucchini
The summer was productive and you do not know where to put the abundant zucchini harvest? Throwing it away is out of the question - just freeze the vegetables instead! As large zucchini often contain a lot of water and become mushy after defrosting, it is advisable to freeze especially smaller specimens.

Wash the courgettes briefly under cold water and then dry them with a kitchen towel. Then cut the courgettes into slices or cubes and place in a sieve. Now sprinkle some salt over the vegetables. This removes any liquid from the courgettes and prepares the vegetables for freezing.

After about 5 minutes you can drain the water that has come out and put the courgettes in a freezer-proof tin. A freezer bag serves the same purpose.

What is the shelf life of raw frozen zucchini?
As the raw courgettes have not been cooked, seasoned or otherwise pre-treated, they can be kept for up to 12 months when frozen. To be on the safe side when it comes to shelf life, we recommend that you attach an Etitkett including freezing date to the courgettes before freezing them.

Extra tip: If the courgettes are still noticeably mushy or smell spoiled after defrosting, they should not be processed.

Freezing pre-cooked courgettes
Whether grilled, stuffed or gratinated - you can also freeze already prepared zucchini dishes without hesitation. Put the courgettes in a freezer tin, seal well and label them. Then you can also put the pre-cooked courgettes in the freezer.

What is the shelf life of pre-cooked, frozen courgettes?
Already cooked dishes do not keep quite as long as fresh vegetables. Nevertheless, you can assume that stuffed courgettes still taste good after 5 months in the freezer. However, defrost the frozen courgettes before they are warmed up in the pan or oven.

Extra tip: You should refrain from heating up in the microwave. The zucchini will become mushy and lose a lot of flavour.