How to Freeze Dry Zucchini
This is your ultimate guide on freeze dried zucchini! I’ll teach you how to turn your fresh zucchini into freeze dried zucchini so you can use it in your favorite recipes all year long. We’ll cover the supplies needed and how to rehydrate and use your freeze dried zucchini later on. Plus, I’ll walk you through the entire process step by step.
Equipment
- Freeze Dryer
- Food processor
- Knife & Cutting Board
- Mason Jars & Lids or Mylar Bags
- Vacuum Sealer
- Oxygen Absorbers
Ingredients
- 7 medium zucchini grated
Instructions
- Harvest and wash zucchini to get rid of any dirt. Then, dry with a clean towel.
- Using a knife, slice off the blossom and stem end of the zucchini and feed to the chickens or add to the compost.
- Cut zucchini into small enough pieces to fit into your food processor (if using).
- Grate/shred zucchini.
- Spread evenly onto freeze dryer trays. Don’t allow the zucchini to pile up beyond the sides of the trays.
- Place trays in freeze dryer and follow the manufacturer’s instructions. Pro Tip: To save valuable time, you can pre-freeze your trays of zucchini prior to freeze drying.
- Once the freeze drying cycle is complete, remove the trays and crumble the zucchini, feeling for any areas that are cold to the touch. This will tell you there’s still moisture in the zucchini and you’ll need to add it back to the freeze dryer and continue freeze drying.
- Carefully transfer freeze dried zucchini to storage jars (or Mylar bags), add an oxygen absorber to each jar and place a two-piece Mason jar lid on top.
- Use a vacuum sealer to seal the jars, then label and date the jars. Pro Tip: I like to leave the bands on the jars in case the seal breaks in storage. This will help prevent excess oxygen from getting into the jar and spoiling my efforts.
Notes
- Read through the blog post above for all my best tips and tricks!
- You'll see my estimated cost is zero... this is because I grow my own zucchini and am using supplies I already had on hand for my freeze dryer. There will be the electricity cost, and the cost of oxygen absorbers. However, I don't consider these a cost to the recipe itself, therefore, I put $0.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!