In peak zucchini season, zucchini confit is my favorite way to freezer preserve it. Though, zucchini confit is so delicious, sometimes it doesn’t even make it to the freezer…

I love to confit veggies, especially zucchini. It gives them a sweet & caramelized flavor, cooks out water and lowers their overall volume (less storage space!) and in my experience, veggie confits freezer preserve longer than many veggies that are frozen raw or blanched.

To “confit” a food is to cook it slowly in a liquid on low heat. This practice is rooted in pre-refrigerator/freezer preservation, traditionally used for meat (duck confit, anyone?). The result is tender in texture and rich in flavor.

The reason that frozen vegetables lose their texture or get “mushy” is because the water in the veg expands and damages the soft tissue of the vegetable. By slowly removing the water content, not only does it help maintain the integrity of the original fruit, but you’re also transforming it into a smooth & creamy sauce-like dish, which will have stronger staying power in your freezer.

I prefer to squeeze some juice out of my shredded zucchini, but sometimes, I’m lazy and don’t do it. When I squeeze water out of my zucchini, I like to take handfuls and just press between my palms, letting the juices slip between my fingers. If I don’t squeeze juice out, it inevitably sticks to the pan more so than if I did give it a squeeze.

I generally have some zucchini that sticks to the pan no matter how I squeeze the zucchini, or much oil I add. But it’s ok with me, I’m happy to put in some extra pan scrubbing for the delicious end result of this dish.

I’ve been brainstorming on what to do with the pressed juice instead of just tossing it (use as pasta water, or in a smoothie?), but thus far I’ve just tossed it. I have tasted it (I believe in tasting everything in the kitchen, each ingredient on its own). And yep, the verdict is: it tastes like zucchini juice. Maybe some salt would improve its raw drinkability? Hm.

My recipe below is available to subscribers of Garden to Kitchen.