Recipe-Ready Frozen Zucchini

When it comes to zucchini, there are two types of gardeners: those who grow just one plant because they fear they’ll end up with too much squash, and those who grow extra plants in case one fails to produce. For the latter, the question is inevitably to preserve or not to preserve. You’ll never get a crisp pickled chip from zucchini because of the vegetable’s excessive water content. Instead, I stick with relishes that don’t suffer from a softer texture. But there’s a limit to how many jars of relish one household can consume in a year.

If your zucchini is overgrown and you’ve made plenty of relish, quarter those huge squash and discard the seeds. Then, grate the flesh, stuff it into bags, and freeze it. The freezing will break down the cells and cause it to exude its water when defrosted. Normal-sized zucchini (8 to 10 inches long) can be quartered, sliced, blanched, and frozen, or simply grated like the monsters.