by Zucchini is a trouble-free vegetable crop that yields huge harvests even for novice gardeners. But how to preserve zucchini for the winter, when there is no more strength for canning, and the multi-colored “woodpile” does not even think of ending?
In order to delight your family with culinary delights based on this healthy vegetable all winter, it is not necessary to dig your own cellar or become a regular at the nearest vegetable store. You can store zucchini at home both in an apartment and in a private house. To do this, you only need to choose special varieties and properly prepare vegetables for winter.
The best varieties of squash for winter storage
Not all varieties of zucchini can be stored in winter; most should be eaten immediately after harvesting. However, there are those that are suitable for long-term storage. Vegetables of such varieties have common features: dense skin, small seeds, dryish pulp. Thanks to this, they are stored for a long time and tolerate transportation well.
If you want to keep your zucchini fresh for as long as possible, plant varieties and hybrids such as Aeronaut, Asset F1, Arlika, Aral F1, Pear-shaped, Negro, Anchor and others with the note “excellent shelf life” on the packaging.
Zucchini for winter storage should be cut from the bush, not allowing them to become overripe. The length of the stalk should be at least 5 cm – this will protect the fruit from the penetration of pathogens into the pulp. It is recommended to carefully shake the collected zucchini from the ground, but washing or wetting them is strictly prohibited.
How to Store Zucchini in Winter
There are no strict requirements for the temperature at which zucchini should be stored. Of course, the optimal temperature would be 4-10°C and humidity around 80%. Such conditions can be achieved in a cellar or basement, but not all summer residents have them. If your house is not equipped with a vegetable storage facility or you cannot get to the village in winter, you can store zucchini in other ways.
How to Store Zucchini in a Cellar
For those who have a frost-free basement or cellar in their home, garage or summer cottage, it is easy to organize the storage of zucchini for the winter. It is enough to allocate a separate wooden shelf for these vegetables, covered with a thin (10 cm) layer of straw and arrange the fruits so that they do not touch each other.
If there are no shelves, then wooden or plastic boxes placed on top of each other can be used for storage. Be sure to hang a thermometer on the wall and do not forget to regularly ventilate the room to reduce the likelihood of mold and rot on vegetables.
Don’t know how to keep zucchini fresh while strictly saving space? Regular nylon tights will come to your aid. Fold the zucchini one by one and hang the resulting “garland” directly from the ceiling – this way they can be stored for up to 3 months.
How to store zucchini in an apartment
You can also store zucchini in an apartment in winter, although in this case they will not last until spring. The best place for vegetables would be a special box located next to the balcony or the front door, a pantry or an insulated balcony. As a last resort, you can put zucchini under the bed, but you will need to check them more often than usual.
When storing zucchini in boxes or on shelves, place cardboard dividers, straw, or carefully wrap each one in paper between them. This will extend the shelf life and prevent diseases from spreading to your entire supply at once.
How to Store Zucchini in the Refrigerator
Not sure if you can store zucchini in the refrigerator? Yes, if you don’t have many of them and your vegetable tray can accommodate them. However, you’ll have to put each vegetable in a separate paper bag with several holes for ventilation and move it from place to place less often.
Although no one will give you a clear answer to the question of how long you can store zucchini, it is worth remembering that after 3-4 months the skin of the vegetables will become very hard, the seeds will begin to sprout, and the pulp will acquire a bitter taste, so even visually intact fruits are best eaten no later than this period.
The skin on zucchini that has been lying around becomes hard and difficult to peel with a regular knife. To solve this problem, put the zucchini in warm water for 30 minutes before peeling.
What to do if zucchini starts to spoil
In order to avoid crop loss and fruit fly spreading throughout your apartment, regularly check the condition of your vegetable stocks. If you find that one or more zucchini have started to leak, mold, or dry out, you should immediately remove them from the rest and then put them to use.
Throw away moldy vegetables immediately – mold spores are insidious, and in zucchini, which is 90% water, they spread at an incredible speed. You should not eat such a vegetable even after heat treatment.
If the zucchini is slightly bruised or has started to dry out, quickly prepare food from it, but, again, do not eat it fresh, but fry it, stew it or add it to soup, having first cut out all the damaged areas.
We hope that the methods listed will help you keep zucchini fresh at home, and you will be able to enjoy tasty and healthy dishes all winter long.
