What to do with all that Zucc!

It seems that each year we have an over abundance of "something" in our garden. Last year we had tons of squash and tons of cucumber. This year it's zucchini! I have put several different recipes that include zucchini on our table so far and they have all been wonderful. I have made my squash and zucchini casserole, zucchini sliced into spears and cooked on the grill, zucchini bread.. etc! After opening the fridge to see four grocery bags full of this vegetable I decided I needed to do something. I decided to freeze the "over abundance" and thought I would share how to blanch vegetables to prepare them for freezing. I was always a tad fearful of doing this thinking it would take a long time or just thinking I didn't need to do it. But in fact just cutting up and freezing can prove the vegetables to be not-so-good for you when you do decide to use them out of the freezer. Certain enzymes and bacteria can will still grow even in the deep freeze. As hard as Shaun and I have worked in our garden to help it produce the best and tastiest vegetables we can I would hate to open up a bag of zucchini in January with my mouth watering for my Mexican Soup that includes it to find my green goodness not-so-good.

So here's how you blanch:

Get out your big soup pot and fill it half way with water. Bring it to a boil. If you will put the lid on while the water is heating it will come to a boil a lot faster. In the meantime, wash and cut up your zucchini, squash, green beans, or whatever you are putting up. Once the water is boiling drop some of the slices or dices into the water. Keep in mind while you are cutting what recipes you may be using them for. For instance I use diced zucchini in my soup so I diced some. Once the veggies are in set the timer for 3 minutes. When they are done, remove them from the water with a strainer or slotted spoon. Allow them to cool before packaging them into freezer bags. I use one of my big enamel bowls to dump them in while they cool. Be sure and use a sharpie to label and date your bags. You can even write their intended use on the outside so this winter you can remember what you were thinking when you put them away.

Enjoy what God has given you, today and tomorrow :)