How to freeze yellow squash

Yellow squash is a versatile summer veggie perfect for stir-fries, soups, stews, pancakes, muffins, and more. If you grow your own vegetables or if you buy them in bulk at a low price, don't be worried about them going waste. You can freeze them and enjoy them for months!

Preparation

Choose: for freezing, it is best to use firm yellow squash with no wrinkles or spots.
Clean: rinse the squash under cool water to get rid of any dirt. Dry it with a kitchen towel to get rid of any excess moisture.

Instructions

Although it is a good idea to blanch the squash before freezing to deactivate any enzymes and preserve color and texture, it can be quite a task if you have lots of squash to freeze.

I personally don't black the squash and it has worked fine. I follow these steps to freeze the yellow squash without blanching.

Cut: cut the squash into slices, cubes, or rounds preferably of uniform size. It is a good idea to cut the squash than to freeze them whole as you can easily use way you need.
Portion: divide the squash into portion sizes of 8 oz, 10 oz, 12, 0z, 24 oz, or what you would need.
Package: transfer the prepared squash to freezer-safe containers, vacuum sealed food bags, or ziplock bags.
Label: write the content details like cut yellow squash or sliced yellow squash along with quantity and date. It helps to easily identify what is in the container or bag.

Storage Choices

Ziplock bags: These are one of the most easy and economical option. Remove as much air as possible from the ziplock bags.
Vacuum sealing: It prevents food against freezer burn and extends storage life.
Reusable containers: Rubbermaid, Lenox, Snapware, Tupperware are good choices for reusable containers. They are not very economical but are environment friendly compared to one-time use options.

How to defrost yellow squash

Most of the times, frozen zucchini can be used straight out of the freezer. So unless your recipe asks to defrost it, there is no need to do it.

Refrigerator: Put the container or ziplock bag in the freezer overnight or for 6-8 hours and the squash will be defrosted. Any liquid can be strained out.
Microwave: If you want to defrost quickly then the defrost setting in the microwave works the best.
Room temperature: Keep the frozen squash at room temperature for about 1-2 hours until it is thawed.
Quick thaw: Place the sealed container in a bowl with warm water. This can take about 15-20 minutes.

How to use frozen squash

As mentioned earlier, usually frozen squash can directly be used in the recipes like soups, stews, curries, or fritters. Grated frozen squash can be used to make muffins, bread, and pancakes.