Freezing Summer Produce

Having frozen peppers, zucchini, and eggplant on hand is perfect for lasagna, stir fry, pizza, pasta sauce, ratatouille, baked goods, and so many other recipes.

Summer Squash and Zucchini

Grate summer squash or zucchini or cut into slices. (Food processors are great here.) Blanch for 3 minutes. Toss into a strainer and rinse with cold water until cooled. Store in a freezer bag, in the freezer!

Many folks don’t blanch the grated version, and it preserves well. If you have a zucchini bread or other recipe you really like, freeze measured bags in the quantity that recipe requires.

Freezing Peppers 

Freezing peppers is the easiest preserving you can do! Just core out the seeds and cut out any bad spots, chop to your desired size, and freeze. No blanching needed. This is true of all types of peppers, green, colorful, hot, whatever you’ve got.
We just quickly chop them into big sections that are flat for fitting more in the freezer, and then cut those up to whatever size when we take them out for use.

And they are really great color and flavor to have later in the winter chopped up into sauces and stirfrys.
Freezing peppers ready for stuffing is really great also because they don’t need all the baking time to soften. Doing Jalapenos like that for filling with cream cheese is quite tasty.

Roasted Peppers

Heat broiler on high. Roast peppers whole on a sheet pan for 10 minutes. Rotate browned peppers and broil another 10 minutes. Throw into a pot and cover. When cool to handle, slip most of the skin off, de-stem and de-seed. Store in olive oil in the fridge or serve immediately.

Freezing Eggplant

Set aside a bowl of cold water. Cut the eggplant in half inch slices or strips and submerge in boiling water. This may be difficult since eggplants like to float, but be creative in keeping them underwater. When the water returns to a boil, wait 40 seconds and then remove and dump them in the cold water to stop all cooking. Place eggplant on a cookie tray and place in the freezer until eggplant is frozen. Frozen eggplant can now be bagged up and individual slices can be removed and defrosted for any of your midwinter cooking needs.

Spiced Pickled Summer Squash

From Red Fire Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007 

2 lbs zucchini or summer squash
2 medium onions
¼ cup kosher salt
2 cups cider vinegar
1+ cup sugar
2 t. mustard seed
1 t. red pepper flakes
2 t. celery seed
1 sliver fresh ginger

Place the vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, ginger, red pepper, and salt in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the sliced onions and bring to a boil. Pack canning containers tightly with squash and fill with hot brining liquid. Submerge closed jars in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes.

Ratatouille Outside the Box

From Red Fire Farm Chef Kristen Schafenacker, 2007 

Yes! A recipe from your share that is so good it fools the most finicky kid into eating vegetables.

1 large eggplant, or 3 Asian eggplant, cut into 1 inch x ¼ in pieces (if using Italian eggplant, peel first)
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 bell peppers, seeds removed, coarsely chopped
1 summer squash, diced
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
¾ cup chopped cilantro
1 t. cumin
½ t. cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
avocado and lime slices

Saute eggplant in wok or skillet on high heat in all but 2 T vegetable oil (10 minutes). When browned, set aside on a paper towel. Add pepper and onions to wok and remaining olive oil if necessary. Cook until caramelized (10 minutes).

Add vinegar, summer squash, tomatoes, and spices and cook until a thick sauce forms (10 minutes). Serve with avocado and lime wedges.

Roasted Summer Squash

Use however much squash you have or want to eat. Leftovers are great on sandwiches.

Slice squash or zucchini lengthwise into slices about 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch thick, and cut them all down the middle to make strips, then chop the lengths in half.

Toss with olive oil to coat and salt and pepper and scatter on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 until squash is totally melty and then eat it!

Raw Kale, Squash and Turnip Salad

2  zucchini or summer squash
1 bunch kale, chopped
2 med. Hakurei turnips, julienned
2 pearl onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup cider vinegar
3 Tbs. dill
1 Tbs. Maple syrup
salt to taste

Slice the squash lengthwise with a peeler and place the ribbons in a bowl.

Toss with turnips, salt and let sit and wilt while preparing the kale.

Salt the chopped kale and massage for 5-10 minutes until tender.

Add the kale to the squash and turnips, then toss with remaining ingredients.

Let marinate for an hour, stirring occasionally to coat the veggies with the vinegar. Add salt before serving if needed.

Kasha with Summer Vegetables

1 cup roasted buckwheat groats 
1 egg
2 cups water or veggie stock
1 Tbs. butter
2 cups diced zucchini or summer squash
1⁄2 cup diced carrot
3 cups chopped greens (swiss chard, kale, spinach etc.)
3 garlic scapes chopped or 2 cloves garlic minced
salt and pepper

Beat egg and mix in buckwheat till groats are coated. Cook in a skillet until the egg is cooked and the groats are dry. Move groats to a pot of boiling water or stock, add 1⁄2 tsp salt and simmer for 7 to 12 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

In the skillet, sauté the scapes and carrot in the butter for five minutes and then add the zucchini. When the squash starts to get translucent, add the greens and the groats and any additional salt and pepper and cook until the greens are tender (time will differ for different greens).