What Causes Zucchini and Summer Squash to Get Tough Skins?

If your garden grows anything like mine does, you probably find yourself overrun with zucchini and summer squash by midsummer. You may even find yourself wondering why you planted them in the first place. These rapid-growing plants produce abundant fruit, but outer skins are often tough and the flesh loses its flavor quickly--if you fail to harvest them at the right time.

Harvesting Zucchini and Summer Squash Early Prevents Tough Skins

Harvest zucchini and summer squash when they are 4 to 6 inches long and the skin bruises easily with your fingernail. At this stage, they are crisp and tender and can be eaten fresh in garden salads or cut into fingers and served with dip. This is also the best stage for using them in a stir-fry as they cook quickly and retain their flavor, especially when you remove them from the heat while they are still a bit crunchy.

Fertile Soil and Moist Soil Prevent Tough Skins

Sometimes, even young summer squash and zucchini develop a tough outer skin before they have time to mature. This results from poor soil and a lack of adequate water at fruit-setting time.

This year, I planted summer squash seedlings in raised beds with soil rich in organic matter, but I had a couple of extras that I tucked into a new garden bed about 200 yards away. Both receive full-day sun. Those in the raised bed are crisp and tender, but those in the soil are considerably smaller, deepen in color quickly and develop a hard outer shell at a length of 4 to 6 inches.

Normally, I would have blamed the tough skin and deep golden color on the specific cultivar or simply on weather conditions, but in the case, I know better. The seedlings all came from the same flat. The only difference in the two is the quality of the soil and the amount of water they received.

For tender young zucchini and summer squash, add plenty of organic matter to the soil and keep the soil moist'"especially during fruiting. Harvest them when they are young by cutting them free of the vine, as twisting or pulling may damage the plant and reduce overall production.

Flash Freezing Zucchini and Summer Squash for Winter Use

Cut zucchini and summer squash into sticks or cubes and blanch them in boiling water for 3 minutes. Remove and chill in ice water. Flash freeze them on a cookie sheet by spreading them out so the pieces do not touch each other. Remove them from the sheet once they are completely frozen and place them in a gallon zippered freezer bag. Flash freezing prevents the individual sections from sticking together and allows you to remove and use only what you need with ease.

Add frozen zucchini and summer squash to recipes such as veggie lasagna or a vegetable stir-fry. Although they will be a little soft when thawed, flavor is good and they work well in casseroles or added to soups.

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Sources:
University of Illinois Extension: Summer Squash