Content

• Steps
• What you need

If you have too many squash and you want to save it to eat gradually, why not freeze it? Squash (summer squash) and pumpkin (winter squash) can both be blanched and frozen. Blanching helps to keep the flavor, color, and even nutritious vitamins of squash. You can also freeze raw pumpkins and save them for baking or soup. So you have a ton of seasonal recipes to eat all year round!

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Freeze raw pumpkins

1. 

   Peel the pumpkin with a knife or a planer. Place the squash on a cutting board and cut off the ends of the pumpkin. Next, hold the zucchini in one hand, while holding the knife in the dominant hand, peel the pumpkin in the direction away from the body. If you are using a regular knife, you will erect the pumpkin on a cutting board and cut it down vertically to cut it off.
   • When you have finished peeling a squash with a planer, use your non-dominant hand to rotate the pumpkin to shave the rest.
   • If you are using a knife, try to cut under the skin on one side of the pumpkin. Cut the whole length of the pumpkin until the peel comes off. Just like that, peel the other peels around the pumpkin until the end.

2. 

   
   
   Cut the pumpkins into small cubes of about 2.5 cm. Use a serrated knife to cut the squash into evenly small pieces. You can cut it to any size, but the 2.5 cm size is great for placing in a freezer bag if you are not planning on cutting to any particular size.
   • Use a cutting board every time you cut vegetables.

3. 

   
   
   Freeze squash on baking tray for 2 hours. Place stencils on the bottom of the baking pan. Spread the squash on the baking tray in a layer, do not overlap. Place the pumpkin tray in the freezer and wait about 2 hours for the squash to freeze.
   • Squash frozen in this way will not stick when stored in the freezer for a long time.

4. 

   
   
   Transfer pumpkins to frozen containers. Place each piece of frozen pumpkin in a freezer plastic container or plastic bag. Be sure to leave a space of 1.3 cm at the top before sealing it.
   • Tupperware plastic food containers and plastic bags are good options.
   • If you are using a plastic bag, draw as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing it.

5. 

   Frozen raw squash for up to 12 months. Place boxes or squash bags in the freezer and store there until you need them to cook. Label the package to indicate the start date of freezer storage.

6. 

   Thaw or add frozen squash directly to some soups. When you need pumpkins, you can immediately add them to hot stews or thaw them for use in other recipes. To thaw pumpkins, transfer the pumpkin bag from the freezer to the refrigerator and leave it overnight or on the kitchen table for 3–4 hours.
   • You can also bake turmeric right out of the freezer without thawing.
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Method 2 of 3: Cook and freeze pumpkins

1. 

   Preheat oven to 204 degrees Celsius. You will use the oven to bake the pumpkins before freezing. Set the grill mode and turn it on to 204 degrees Celsius. If you want, you can also use the microwave so you don't have to worry about preheating the oven.

2. 

   Use a sharp knife with a serrated knife to cut the pumpkin in half. Place the squash on a cutting board and hold it with one hand. Use a knife to cut the zucchini in half vertically. Place two halves of the zucchini on the cutting board, the section facing up.
   • With large squash varieties like squash, you need to work slowly and carefully while handling the knife. Pumpkins are easy to roll, so be careful not to miss the knife. Smaller squash varieties like squash will be easier to hold.

3. 

   Scoop out the intestines and pumpkin seeds. Use a spoon or hand to scoop out the intestines and the pumpkin seeds inside. The melon scoop is a great tool to do this easily. A serrated fruit spoon is fine.
   • You can either throw the squash away or compost it.
   • Spoons will be difficult to cut through the gut of squash like a spoon of watermelon because the edge of the spoon is not sharp.

4. 

   Place the zucchini in the baking tray with the flesh facing up. If you want to add seasoning, sprinkle salt and pepper into the squash. You can also add 1 tablespoon (15 ml) of butter or honey and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar to the squash.
   • If you're going to bake the pumpkins right out of the freezer, you can add butter and brown sugar now. On the other hand, squash without seasoning will preserve better; You can just leave it on and bake.

5. 

   Bake squash for 25 minutes or until soft. Place the pumpkin tray in the oven preheated to 204 degrees C and bake for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes, take out the tray and use a fork to see if the squash is soft (cooked squash is when you put a fork in the squash).
   • To microwave squash, place the squash pieces on a microwaveable dish lined with food wrap. Cook for about 15 minutes on high power and check every 5 minutes. Continue cooking until the squash is soft enough to scoop it out of the skin.

6. 

   Use a spoon to scoop out the pumpkin. Once the pumpkin has cooled, use a metal spoon to scoop out the tender flesh from the skin. Place the squash meat in a separate bowl and discard the empty shell once you are finished.
   • You can also use a serrated spoon to make it easier to scoop.

7. 

   Make a puree of cooked squash. Ground pumpkins will be kept in the freezer for several months. Use a blender or food blender to grind pumpkins until there are no more lumps of pork. The cooked squash is soft, so it's pretty easy to grind.
   • You can also crush squash using a grinding tool, even with a fork.

8. 

   Divide the pumpkin into small portions to freeze it. Wait for the squash to cool, then divide it into cup (120 ml) squash portions, place it on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, or place it in an ice cube tray or muffin mold. Place the squash tray in the freezer to freeze for at least 4 hours or until the squash is hardened.
   • Partially frozen squash is best, but if you don't have time, you can skip this step and freeze them right away.

9. 

   Store the squash in the freezer for up to 3 months. Once the pumpkin portions have hardened, place them in a plastic container or a plastic bag that can be frozen and keep in the freezer for until you need to cook.
   • If you are using a plastic bag, make sure to vent as much air as possible before sealing the bag.

10. 

    Thaw the pumpkin for cooking or baking. Transfer the pumpkin to the refrigerator overnight or place it on the kitchen table for 3-4 hours to thaw. Once thawed, you can cook the squash in the microwave or on the stove to add it to hot dishes. You can also add the squash directly to the soup.
    • Pumpkin is an excellent candidate for sauces, dipping sauces, lasagnas, enchiladas and other toast or muffins.
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Method 3 of 3: Blanch and freeze squash

1. 

   Cut the squash into circles more than 0.5 cm thick. Use a heavy and sharp kitchen knife to cut the ends of the zucchini, then slice them into thin slices. Cut slices of squash about 0.5 cm thick over the length of the pumpkin.
   • If you want to freeze zucchini for later making zucchini cakes, you should grate them into fibers. Use a vegetable peeler to grate the squash into a bowl.
   • This method does not need to be peeled, as you will then blanch.

2. 

   Boil 4 liters of water to blanch for each 0.5 kg of squash. Heat a large pot of water on a high heat. Place a metal basket or steamer into the pot of water so that when pouring squash into the basket or squash, the squash is completely submerged in water.
   • You are not entangled in this method. Use only a metal basket to make it easier to remove pumpkins after blanching.

3. 

   Put the squash in the basket and blanch for 3-4 minutes. You should not blanch more than 0.5 kg squash per batch. Boil for about 3 minutes. Remove the basket from the pot after it is done blanching.
   • You can put a fork in the squash after 3 minutes of blanching to see if it's soft; if the squash is fine.
   • For shredded zucchini, you should blanch in small batches for 1-2 minutes until the squash softens.

4. 

   Soak squash in cold water or a bowl of ice water for 3 minutes. If you soak squash with ice, you'll need 0.5 kg of ice for every 0.5 kg of squash. If using cold water, turn on cold water to continuously flow over the squash and rotate the squash basket several times to cool it down. Water with a temperature of 16 degrees C or less is best.
   • Soaking the squash in ice water after blanching prevents it from ripening further, thus preventing the ezymes from continuing to break down. As a result, the squash retains its almost intact color, flavor and texture.

5. 

   Pour squash into the basket to drain. Pour a bowl of squash soaked in ice into a basket (or any other filter) to remove the water. This is the preparation step for freezing squash. Use a paper towel to pat dry each slice of the squash after all the water is gone.
   • You can hold the squash slices between the two paper towels for about 10 minutes to ensure complete drainage.

6. 

   Freeze the squash in a plastic bag for up to 6 months. Place the blanched squash in a usable plastic container or freezer bag. If you are using a plastic bag, draw as much air out as possible before closing the top of the bag. Place boxes or squash bags in the freezer and store there until needed.
   • Blanched squash usually stays in the freezer for up to 6 months.

7. 

   Thaw the squash before cooking or baking. Put the squash in the refrigerator overnight or put it on the kitchen table for 3-4 hours to thaw. Then, you can use frozen squash in pasta sauce, soup, casseroles or as a side dish.
   • Shredded zucchini is perfect for dishes such as risotto rice, soups, muffins or cakes.
   • For your own dish made with squash, you can fry the squash in brown sugar with garlic and sage.
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What you need

Freeze raw pumpkins

• A vegetable knife or knife
• The kitchen knife is serrated
• Baking tray
• Frozen plastic or plastic containers

Cook and freeze pumpkins

• The kitchen knife is serrated
• Food blender or blender
• Frozen plastic or plastic bags

Cook and freeze squash

• The kitchen knife is serrated
• Cauldron
• Metal basket
• Big ice bowl
• Baking tray
• Frozen plastic or plastic containers