Good afternoon, my reader. Zucchini is used to prepare delicious dishes - from caviar and pancakes to soups and casseroles. However, during storage, they often lose their taste or deteriorate. We will tell you how to properly harvest and store it in order to delight loved ones with zucchini dishes for as long as possible.
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Optimal harvest time
In the fall, it is important to remove the zucchini before the first frost so that they do not freeze. If the zucchini is overripe, damaged, or sick with something, they won't last long, so don't leave them in storage.
If you use vegetables right away, for example in a salad, you can pick them slightly unripe. Such zucchini are softer, and they have few seeds, but they will not be able to be stored for a long time. However, overripe vegetables are even smaller. Therefore, it is better to cut off before overexposing. Ripe zucchini has a typical color for this variety, a stronger rind, and sounds dull when tapped.
Harvesting correctly
It is important to cut the fruit off with a sharp knife, not to pluck or twist. If the stalk has a torn edge, then an infection can settle in it, which will ruin the harvest. Leave the tip at least five centimeters.
Favorable storage conditions
Before you put the zucchini for storage, they must be cleaned of dirt and dust, but never washed. It is best to use a dry rag and then dry the vegetables in the sun.
Favorable conditions will keep the zucchini fresh for as long as possible. The store should be dry, without access to light, ventilated, and cool enough. It is important that the fruits do not touch each other with their sides. They can be stored in boxes on straw or sawdust. Or hang them separately in the nets.
Storage in the apartment
Place the zucchini in your pantry, under your bed, or near your balcony door. Dry air and darkness are important for them. Make sure there is no battery or heater nearby. It's too cold on the loggia or balcony for zucchini.
Each vegetable is best wrapped in paper and folded in a single layer in a drawer or box. Or just place cardboard partitions between the fruits.
How to store in the fridge and freezer
Part of the crop can be left in the refrigerator, after drying. Each vegetable must be placed in a bag and holes must be made for ventilation.
Before sending the zucchini to the freezer, prepare them for consumption - cut into cubes or slices. Then lay out on a tray and freeze. Then the vegetables can be folded into bags and stored.
Cellar storage
Zucchini are best kept at temperatures between 4 and 10 degrees. Humidity should be around 80%. To control these conditions, get yourself a thermometer and hygrometer. Excessive moisture will provoke rotting.
Cover the shelves with straw and place the vegetables on them so that they do not touch each other. To save space, you can put each zucchini in a separate nylon stocking and hang it.
Which varieties are stored longer
Fruits with a thick skin, rather large (from 35 to 40 cm) and with a small number of seeds are best preserved. These requirements are met by such varieties as Gribovsky, Festival, Aeronaut, Marquis, Golden Cup, Yellow-fruited, Tristan.
Storage periods
Late varieties can lie for 3-5 months, but closer to spring they lose their taste, become loose, the seeds germinate. Only frozen vegetables remain usable until spring.
Do you know how to keep zucchini fresh all winter?
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