looking for ways to put up squash

[TexCub]

Hello all! We've got a small garden with only about 4 squash plants, but they tend to grow pretty vigorously and we end up with more than we can eat for a very short time of the year. We intend on spacing the planting out a bit to have smaller doses for a longer period, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

Have any of y'all had experience with putting up squash? We tried to cut an freeze it last year and the consistency / texture suffered a bit. Anyone have luck canning it? We thought it might get mushy like baby food if we tried it. Thanks for any input and I'll get a picture of the garden up soon

Dave

[ScottyD'sdad]

Other than freezing shreaded zucchini, for making zucchini bread, I haven't found any way to put up summer squashes. Ed

[Roy47]

We like to cook our squash in a black skillet with some onions and seasoned to taste. We will fix a big batch and freeze what we don't eat. We can then just throw them in the micro wave and a little heating and they are pretty good. Not as good as picking them straight out of the garden but in the dead of winter they taste pretty good and they don't get too soft. My wife also likes to make squash casseroles and freeze them. She about half cooks them, freezes them, then finishes cooking when she is ready to serve. Pretty good eating with ice on the ground.
I probably picked 30 to 40 pounds yesterday. Ate a bunch, froze a bunch and gave a bunch away, I can usually find some neighbors that will gladly take them.
Roy

[Super A]

Funny you should mention, a co-worker was talking about canning squash the other day, but I didn't find out her technique. My mom and my mother in law both freeze a few. We like to eat them as Roy47 describes, and they don't do too bad this way. I think my mother in law cooks them completely and then freezes. My mom just cuts them up, blanches them, freezes, and cooks them when she wants to serve them. The texture isn't like fresh, but in the dead of winter they're pretty good....also IMO the yellow crook neck variety does better, seems like the straight necks come out sort of rubber-y, either fresh or frozen.

Al

[phildidit]

we made squash patties and froze them, it is shredded squash, onion, shredded cheddar, an egg, spices to flavor and garlic. we bake them and freeze them

[TexCub]

Thanks for the ideas, I think we may try all of the above! When squash is in full swing we can't keep eat enough to keep the pile picked squash down!

Dave