Preservation Bounty

One of the delicious parts of gardening is that the eating can continue long after the garden is done producing for the year.  Preserving your garden produce is a boon not only in nutrition and cost savings but also in that great feeling you get reaching into the freezer or cupboard shelf and pulling out veggies that are grown from your garden.  You can brag about that!

Are you swimming in zucchini and summer squash?  You can successfully freeze summer squash.  The trick is remembering to use them.  If you are a baker, freeze just what you need for certain recipes that you love and then make a list of what you have frozen and what you wish to use it for.  I have a zucchini fritter recipe that I enjoy making for a quick lunch.  I freeze just what I need to make the recipe, package a few individually wrapped bags and place these in a gallon size freezer bag with the recipe written on the larger bag.  For me, this works great!  When you thaw the zucchini, do so in a colander and allow the liquid to separate from the grated squash.  The recipe calls for removal of the extra liquid and now this step is already done for you.

Cornmeal Zucchini Fritters
2 cups grated zucchini or other summer squash
2 T olive oil
1 large egg
⅓ cup cornmeal
1 T honey
½ t salt
½ t black pepper
½ t ground mustard
¼ t crushed red pepper or 1 chopped jalapeño
1 crushed clove garlic

Yogurt Dill Sauce
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
Juice of ½ a lemon
1 T fresh or 1 t dried dill
¼ t salt
¼ t pepper

Squeeze excess moisture from zucchini by wrapping it in a clean dish towel and gently pressing the extra liquid out.

Heat 2 T olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium high heat.  Mix zucchini with remaining ingredients.  Divide fritter batter in cast iron skillet in two batches to make a total of 8 fritters.  Cook for 2-3 minutes per side until browned and crispy.  Transfer to a paper towel lined plate.  Serve warm with combined yogurt dill sauce ingredients.

Some veggies work well when roasted and frozen.  Fennel bulbs, carrots and beets can all be tossed with olive oil and roasted at 400 degrees until the edges of the veggies are caramelized and they can be pierced with a fork.  I freeze them first on a sheet pan and then transfer to a large freezer bag.  You can remove the amount you wish from the larger bag.  Try this with broccoli, cauliflower and green beans.  Smaller containers of roasted tomatoes will add depth of flavor to soups and stews.  

Happy eating!