Zucchini, or courgette in Britain, is a summer vegetable that can go from firm and glossy to soft and slippery when stored badly. The thin skin loses moisture, while condensation in a sealed bag can encourage decay. If you're growing courgettes, you may also have the opposite problem: so many arriving at once that you can't possibly cook them all fresh.
For ordinary household storage, keep uncut courgettes chilled but protected from excessive moisture, and use them relatively soon. Freezing is a useful longer-term option, but the texture changes substantially after thawing.
Select firm courgettes
Look for smooth sound skin and a reasonably firm body. Green, yellow and striped varieties can all be good choices.
Avoid vegetables with deep soft bruises, slimy spots or visible mould. A little superficial scuffing doesn't automatically make a courgette unusable.
Very large garden-grown courgettes may have developed thicker skin and larger seeds. They can still work in cooking, but their storage and texture may differ.
Don't wash them before putting them away
Extra water left on the surface can encourage spoilage in sealed storage. If the courgette is clean enough to store, wait to wash it until preparation.
Remove obvious loose soil gently and pat dry any surface moisture. Don't use household detergent or bleach on edible produce.
When ready to cook, rinse under running water and use clean knives and boards.
Use the fridge vegetable drawer
Place uncut courgettes in a suitable loose bag or crisper container, allowing some moisture control without trapping excessive condensation.
Keep them away from the coldest walls if those areas approach freezing temperatures. Courgettes can be sensitive to chilling damage if kept too cold for too long.
Don't stack heavy carrots, tins or large melons on top of them. Bruising creates weak spots where deterioration can begin.
Avoid condensation inside packaging
A tightly sealed wet bag can turn a few courgettes slimy. If you see water droplets collecting, open the packaging, dry the vegetables and adjust the storage method.
Some loose or perforated packaging can help balance airflow with moisture retention. The precise solution depends on your refrigerator and starting freshness.
Do not leave the vegetables completely exposed to strong fridge airflow for weeks either; they can wrinkle as water is lost.
Know when to use them
Courgettes are best treated as relatively short-storage produce, not as winter squash. Aim to use them while the skin and flesh remain firm.
If a vegetable has been in the fridge for several days, inspect it before buying more. Rotate the oldest sound courgettes into your next meal.
There is no magic number of days that guarantees freshness. Starting quality and storage conditions affect how long they remain good.
Leave them whole if you can
Cut surfaces dry and discolour more quickly than intact skins. If you need only half a courgette, wrap or cover the remainder and refrigerate promptly.
Plan to use cut pieces within a short suitable period rather than leaving them in an open bowl. A little surface drying may be trimmed, but extensive wet rot is not acceptable.
If you pre-chop courgettes for meal preparation, keep portions clean and chilled, particularly when combined with other perishable foods.
Store garden harvests differently from winter squash
Courgettes are immature summer squash with tender skins. They are not designed for the same months-long dry storage as mature butternut or other winter squash.
Pick regular sound fruits rather than leaving everything to become huge marrows. Smaller courgettes are often more tender for ordinary cooking.
If you have a large harvest, share sound fresh produce or process some for freezing before it starts deteriorating.
Freezing grated courgette
Grated courgette is useful for baking and some sauces. Measure portions, remove some moisture if your recipe requires and freeze in suitable labelled containers.
After thawing, it releases a lot of liquid. You may need to drain or squeeze it according to the eventual dish.
For cakes and muffins, note whether the recipe expects courgette measured before or after squeezing, because that changes the moisture balance.
Freezing cooked courgette
Roasted or sautéed courgette can be cooled appropriately and frozen for soups, stews and sauces. Expect a softer texture after reheating.
A frozen portion isn't ideal if you wanted crisp grilled rounds, but it can add flavour and vegetables to cooked dishes.
Avoid repeatedly thawing and refreezing a large batch. Small labelled meal-size portions are easier.
Why courgettes turn bitter
Some cucurbits can develop unusually high levels of cucurbitacins, natural bitter compounds. This is particularly relevant to certain home-grown squash.
If a courgette tastes intensely and abnormally bitter, spit it out and discard the vegetable. Cooking does not reliably remove these compounds.
The RHS warns about bitter courgettes and recommends not eating them. Don't attempt to disguise severe bitterness with sugar or seasoning.
Check before cooking
Trim the ends and inspect the exposed flesh. Sound courgette is generally firm and pale inside, with soft immature seeds appropriate to the variety.
If the centre is mushy, slimy or smells rotten, discard it. A mildly soft but sound vegetable may still work in a soup.
Avoid placing a spoiled courgette into a large dish and hoping cooking will make everything safe.
Prevent surface bruising
Use a shallow basket for collecting home-grown courgettes and handle them gently in shopping bags.
Small punctures from fingernails or harvesting tools can lead to soft spots. Cut fruit from the plant with appropriate clean secateurs rather than twisting violently.
Keep sound and damaged harvests separate so you can use the marked ones first.
Simple meals for a surplus
Courgettes work in tray bakes, fritters, pasta sauces and vegetable soup. Grating them into a cooked dish can help use a large harvest.
Don't spend hours preserving a poor-quality vegetable when the better solution is to cook it while fresh.
The straightforward storage plan
Keep whole courgettes dry, lightly protected and refrigerated without crushing them. Check regularly and use them relatively soon.
For a glut, prepare suitable freezer portions before the quality falls. Summer squash is most enjoyable when treated as fresh produce rather than something meant to sit for months.