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 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.
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.
Cinnamon Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup raisins (optional)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Grate zucchini and let sit in a colander to drain for 30 min, pressing out extra liquid.
In a large bowl, combine eggs, oil, sugar, zucchini, and vanilla. Mix well.
Add flours, baking powder, soda, salt, wheat germ, and cinnamon; stir to combine. Stir in raisins and nuts, if desired.
Bake at 350˚ F for 1 hour, or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
Chocolate Zucchini Brownie Cake
From CSA member Meghan Phillips, 2015
Here is a great recipe to use some of the bountiful zucchini we get in the summer time (or to make later on with grated zucchini you froze). This ends up like a pan of brownies, not a traditional cake. It would probably work for any summer squash. Meghan, one of our members, got this recipe from her mother decades ago – thanks for passing it on to us all too!
½ cup margarine or butter
½ cup oil
1 1/3 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
½ cup buttermilk (or add 1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice to fresh milk)
2 cups grated zucchini
2 cups flour
4 Tbs baking cocoa powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ cup chocolate chips
½ cup chopped nuts (optional)
Cream the margarine with the sugar, then mix in all other wet ingredients including zucchini. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl, except the chocolate chips and nuts. Mix wet and dry together.
Pour into a greased 13” x 9” pan.
Scatter chocolate chips and nuts (if using) across the top.
Bake in oven at 325 degrees for 40-45 minutes until a knife comes out clean.
Garlic and Herb Rataouille
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion (opt.), chopped
4 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
1 small eggplant, cubed
2-3 large tomatoes
3 to 4 small zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
2 Tbs. fresh, chopped basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
In a 4-quart Dutch oven or saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add eggplant and half the garlic; stir until coated with oil. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep vegetables from sticking.
Add tomatoes, zucchini, and herbs; mix well. Cover and cook over low heat about 15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender but not too soft. Add rest of garlic and cook one more minute.
Zucchini Appetizer Squares
4 c thinly sliced zucchini
1 c buttermilk baking mix
4 eggs – beaten to blend
½ c chopped onion
½ c freshly grated Parmesan cheese + more to sprinkle on top
½ c plain yogurt
2 T chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic minced
½ t chopped oregano
½ t salt
Ground pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350 and butter 9 x 13 ovenproof glass baking dish. Mix together ingredients in any order. Spread into prepared dish, sprinkle with additional Parmesan cheese
Cook until tester comes out clean – 30 – 45 min. Cut into squares and enjoy hot or at room temperature.
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).
Summer Medley Quiche
Quiche for dinner is yummy! You can substitute any vegetables for the ones called for depending on what’s in your fridge.
1 pie shell
5 eggs
1 cup whole milk or cream
½ cup grated cheese of choice
2 Tbs. Olive oil or butter
2 ½ cup sautéed vegetables (onion, summer squash/zuke, pepper, kale, fresh herbs like savory or sage)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sprig basil chopped (opt)
1 tomato sliced (opt)
In a large frying pan with the olive oil or butter, start with the onions and then add the summer squash or zucchini, pepper, fresh herbs, kale, and garlic last. When all veggies are tender, drain off any liquid and spread out on the bottom of the crust. Sprinkle the cheese over the top.
Wisk the eggs with the milk and add ½ tsp salt and pepper and pour over the veggies. Top with the basil and tomato if you like and bake until puffed and brown at 375˚ (about 30 min). Enjoy hot or cold.
