How to Freeze Squash

It’s squash season! And so, in light of that, today I’m going to be sharing with you how to properly freeze squash.  Because, nobody wants to waste squash.  If you have some squash that is nearing the end of it’s life and you don’t want it to start going bad, freezing the squash is a great way to avoid that from happening.

Every year as the autumn season approaches I am eager to celebrate the arrival of fall.  Usually I start celebrating a little too early. By mid-August I’m declaring it’s time to eat all things pumpkin to anyone who will listen.

That’s when people start posting on Facebook how those “everything pumpkin” people are driving them crazy.

Yep, I’m one of THOSE pumpkin people.

However, this year was different.  I don’t know why but summer seemed to fly by.  I wasn’t quite done with summer.  September started and I really was still in hot weather mode.  Even though the weather was already changing, and so were the leaves.  I didn’t even eat anything pumpkin flavored by that time.

Seriously.  I had my first pumpkin latte this past Saturday. SEPTEMBER 19th.  I don’t think I’ve ever waited that long.

I really don’t know what’s wrong with me this year.

Anyways, yesterday I cooked up some squash soup.  The first batch of the season and did it ever smell like autumn in my house.

It was a serious turning point for me.

Bring on fall, I say.  

But let’s get to the real reason for this post.  Learning how to freeze squash. Can we talk about these kinds of posts for a minute?

The other day a friend came over and my husband tried to hand her a squash, to which she looked at it and said “I have no idea what to do with this.”  Because – not everyone loves to cook.

Sometimes people give me a hard time for writing posts that they feel everyone already knows about.  But here’s the thing.  How do you know how to do the things you do?  Well, someone probably taught you.  That isn’t true for everyone.  Not everyone had a parent or grandparent who taught them their way around the kitchen.  And so what might seem like “information everyone knows” to you may be completely foreign to someone else.

And so that’s why I write stuff like, “how to roast a whole chicken,” or “how to freeze squash.”  Because I WAS that person who didn’t know how to do it at one time either.

Now, this method will work for any kind of squash (except maybe spaghetti squash – don’t ask me how you freeze that stuff) but if you are particularly wondering how to freeze butternut squash this is the type I am using in this post.  It’s my favorite kind to cook up.

I grew squash in my garden for the first time this year.  Last year because I was heavy into my pumpkin obsession I didn’t want to plant squash and have it take precious real estate that I planned to use for my pumpkin.

Um….did you know one pumpkin seed grows multiple pumpkins?  As a new-ish gardener I had no idea.

I had way too many pumpkins.

Which, by the way, if you are wondering how to freeze pumpkin, you use the same method as freezing squash.

Anyways, this year I cut back on the pumpkin growing and grew some squash as well.  And so, I’ll be freezing some in the near future.

There are two main ways I like to freeze squash.  Let’s get into it!

HOW TO FREEZE SQUASH

Method #1:

This is my method of choice because I mostly use squash for making soup.  This method is perfect for soup making but is also great if you think you will use the squash in sauces or even for baking.

The first thing you want to do is preheat your oven to 375 Fahrenheit.

Next you want to cut your squash in half.  You’ll need a really good knife and be super careful.  Cutting squash is not easy, in my opinion.

Okay, now you’ll want to scoop out all the seeds.  I’m sure you could roast them like you do pumpkin seeds but you know, every time I roast pumpkin seeds no one eats them.  So, I stopped wasting my time.

After you remove the seeds brush some oil on the squash.

Put it face down on a cookie sheet.  Let’s not talk about how my poor cookie sheet has seen better days.

Put it in the oven.  How long will vary on how big your squash is.  Mine took about an hour.  It’s done when it’s soft enough to puncture it with a fork.

Once it’s done let it cool completely.

After it’s cooled you can take a spoon and scoop out the flesh into a freezer bag.

I like to measure two cups per bag for mine.  That way I always know how much squash is in there when I pull it out of the freezer.

When I freeze my squash I flatten it and lay it down.  This allows me to pile them up nicely in my freezer if I have multiple freezer bags.

 

METHOD #2

This method is great if you want to use your squash for roasting or steaming, or in some kind of dinner dish later.

Peel the squash with a vegetable peeler.  Cut off the end and then slice it in half.

Remove the seeds.

Cut up your squash into small cubes.

Spread the cubed squash onto a cookie sheet or casserole dish of some sort that is freezer safe.

Put it in the freezer for four or more hours.

Take it out and put the cubes into a freezer bag.  When you need some squash you can easily grab how much you need.

 

FREEZING SAVES MONEY

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Freezing your food instead of letting it go to waste helps you save money.  There are many other foods you can freeze too and you can find out what those are here.  Using some good freezer bags or freezer containers are necessary to prevent your food from getting freezer burnt way too quickly.

If the thought of canning your own food overwhelms you, freezing it instead is a great option.