Zucchini, like many vegetables, is a versatile product. It can be eaten raw, boiled, fried, and can be baked with it in pies, muffins and cakes. And these are not all the ways of its culinary processing. Of course, when you have a rich harvest of zucchini in your hands, you want to keep it as long as possible. And there are many ways to do this.
It is necessary
- Zucchini jam
- - 1 kg of zucchini;
- - 6 glasses of sugar;
- - 3 large lemons;
- - 4 teaspoons of dried ginger.
Instructions
Step 1
For storage, choose squash that is 15 to 45 centimeters long, with shiny, intact skin.
Step 2
Indoor storage
Store squash at room temperature in a dim or dark place, wrapped in perforated plastic wrap. The most important thing to watch out for is indoor humidity. The optimum moisture content for storing this vegetable is 60%. You do not need to wash the zucchini before storing. In this form, the vegetable can lie for up to six months. It is best to take late varieties, with a thick skin.
Step 3
Cold storage
Whole zucchini should not be refrigerated due to the high humidity. If you have no other choice, then keep in mind that the shelf life will be reduced to two weeks. Place the zucchini in the vegetable compartment and keep away from avocados, melons, pears and apples, and peppers and tomatoes. They secrete ethylene, the "ripeness hormone" that can shorten the shelf life of a widow squash, if not threefold.
Cut zucchini is stored in plastic bags, no more than two to three days.
Step 4
Freezing
To freeze the zucchini, they need to be washed and cut into slices, 1 to 2 centimeters wide. Prepare a pot of boiling water and an equally wide pot of cold water in which to put pure ice. Blanch the zucchini - soak the slices in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, and then immediately immerse them in ice water. After that, put the vegetables in a colander or on a wire rack so that the excess liquid is glass. Then you can put the slices in zip bags or special containers and place them in the freezer. Frozen zucchini has a shelf life of 9 to 14 months.
Step 5
Canning
Many people know that salted and pickled zucchini make a savory appetizer. Canned squash caviar has no less fans. But a delicate, fragrant, golden zucchini jam is a recipe that is not known to many.
Peel the zucchini and seeds, cut into cubes and mince. Mix the resulting mass with sugar and leave overnight. The next day, place the zucchini and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Remove the zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice, add these ingredients to the zucchini, add the ginger. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 1 hour, until the jam is clear and thick. Pour into sterilized jars, cover with food parchment and cap.
