Last week, I shared how to freeze zucchini – part 1, which demonstrated how to freeze shredded zucchini. This type of freezing is fine, as long as you’re adding the zucchini to a bread recipe…or soup. But sometimes, a recipe calls for sliced zucchini, like my impossibly easy zucchini pie. Trust me, shredded zucchini just doesn’t cut it for this recipe! I’ve tried.

Because I can’t bear to buy zucchini in the winter when I know how much I gave away throughout the summer, I’ve learned how to freeze zucchini slices. That way, I can make this recipe any time of year with homegrown produce straight from the garden (via the freezer, of course)! We could also call this post how to freeze zucchini – part 2, for those of you counting at home, and yes, there will be a part 3, so stay tuned!

The big question when it comes to freezing sliced zucchini is to blanch or not to blanch. After a quick Internet search, I discovered that blanching seems to be the way to go. This website by Farm Girl Fare gives some great tips. As a side note, for those of you who lost zucchini plants due to those pesky squash bugs, she offers a great solution. Instead of sprinkling your plants with Sevin dust, you can use food grade diatomaceous powder. Definitely on my garden supply list for next year!

Okay, enough distractions. Here’s how to freeze sliced zucchini, in six simple steps.

Step 1 – Wash zucchini thoroughly. Since you need to keep the skin attached for zucchini slices, you’ll want to make sure it’s really clean. Note that I picked smaller zucchini for this freezing project, not the baseball-bat size you can shred for bread recipes! 🙂

Step 2 – Slice zucchini in 1/4 inch slices. I used this nifty little crinkle cut knife from The Pampered Chef, but a regular old knife will certainly do. At first, I planned to slice the zucchini thinner when I removed it from the freezer bag, but I didn’t have the patience for that, so cut it to the size you want to use in your recipe.

Step 3 – Boil (blanch) zucchini for three minutes. While you’re blanching, prepare a bowl filled with ice cubes for step 4.

Step 4 – Rinse zucchini and plop immediately in ice-cold water. Typically, you’ll want to cool the zucchini for the same amount of time as you blanch it, so set your timer for another three minutes.

Step 5 – Drain zucchini well, mark a freezer bag, and fill. My zucchini pie recipe calls for four cups of sliced zucchini, so I used a gallon-sized bag. Try to lay the zucchini flat in the bag. No dumping here. Also, it helps to suck out all the excess air with a straw when sealing the bag.

Step 6 – Freeze! When you’re ready to cook the zucchini, just pull the frozen bag from the freezer a couple of hours before cooking. Note that the zucchini will not be crisp, which is no problem for the pie I make, since I sauté it in butter anyway.

And that’s all there is to it. In a single morning, you can put away enough sliced zucchini to last all winter. (I love providing nutritious food for my family right from my backyard, don’t you?) 🙂

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