The zucchini plant is known to be a fast grower. It is also a generous yielder capable of producing about 10 pounds of the crop. They can be harvested after 40 days, and during warmer months, the squash produces extended vegetables.
There are various varieties of Zucchini, but the more common ones are green and yellow. Fresh zucchini tends to go bad easily. As such, one must be able to spot a bad zucchini squash to avoid eating anything spoiled.
How Long Are Zucchini Good For?
Storage of Zucchini at room temperature is possible for 2 to 4 days; however, the quality may deteriorate slightly. To keep a fresh taste longer (around 2 to 5 days), keep it in a cold and dark space such as a pantry. The moment you notice that it begins to get watery, make it into a soup rather than a salad. (Read Orange Lily With Black Spots)
If you intend to keep Zucchini fresh and stay in good condition for at least 14 days or two weeks, then your only alternative is to refrigerate. So they last for a long time, wrapping them in a plastic bag unwashed will also help. Also, try to maintain proper air circulation.
The moment a Zucchini is sliced, it can last for about three days in the refrigerator. If there is some space in your fridge, this is the best place to store your Zucchini.
Places to avoid storing Zucchini is on a countertop. Expect 3 days maximum before it is time to throw it out if a countertop is the only storage area, better to eat the fruit within a day to ensure freshness.
When is Zucchini Bad?
How to tell if a Zucchini is bad is by touching it to check for freshness. Once it becomes noticeably soft to the touch, this is a good indication it is no longer fresh. However, even if it feels mushy, Zucchini is not necessarily spoiled. As mentioned earlier, it can still do for a soup.
Slicing a bad Zucchini will have a lot of water escape from it, especially if stored too long. For the most part, the fruit is made of water, and it becomes useless once it loses its firm characteristics. Firm fruit with not much water means it is on the fresher side.
If the Zucchini has some visible dark spots, cut those out; however, if the dark spots are big. Spoiled Zucchini has skin that looks dull and lifeless.
Mushy and wrinkled skin is also a telltale sign it is no longer edible. A bad zucchini also has inner flesh that is filled with large seeds once it is cut through. One can also determine if it is a rotten Zucchini by slicing it lengthwise to check if the spoiled area extends into the fruit’s interior.
Look at the inside for further softness, discoloration, and watery parts. Slice off any of the damaged sections and use the parts that appear good.
How to Keep Zucchini Fresh
One can obtain quality Zucchini if it is harvested from your own garden. If they are being bought from a grocery store, check for dates before paying for it. Unfortunately, Zucchini found in the grocery store does not always have an expiry date.
Look for examples of fruit that has shiny skin. If some parts of it are soft, leave it be as this is a good sign it is past its optimum freshness. Zucchini found in the market is always fresh since they are sold the day after they are harvested.
Nevertheless, they can incur damage as they are harvested and during their transportation. Once again, to ascertain their freshness, look for firm examples that do not have dark bruising. Always keep in mind that this fruit has a short lifespan once harvested, so the presence of any of the signs mentioned above should all be red flags.
Handling Zucchini
Try to handle Zucchini using lots of care. It is actually quite a delicate fruit and is very prone to bruising. Avoid keeping them together in a container if they have to be in storage. The Zucchini at the bottom of the container can bruise and probably will incur damage from the weight of the other fruits on top.
An ideal way to keep them is to line them up together side by side. This way, none of the fruit has to bear any weight. Likewise, please do not put them at the bottom of the basket when buying them from grocery stores.
Instead, place them at the top of your stash. These little precautions will go a long way in getting a little bit more freshness from them.
Is Zucchini a Vegetable or Fruit?
A popular belief held by most people is that Zucchini is a vegetable. Wrong! Zucchini is actually a fruit since it evolves from a flower. Still, most folks often use the fruit as if it is a vegetable.
It is actually a type of squash. It comes from seeds, and it grows on the flowering portion of a Zucchini plant. (Read Do Deer Eat Sweet Potatoes)
Washing Zucchini
To clean the fruit, simply place it gently under cold running water. Take out any soil or dirt from the skin by gently rubbing with your fingers to avoid bruising. Do not use a vegetable brush as this may be harsh.
In Conclusion
It is straightforward to determine a bad zucchini visibly just by observing the dull appearance of its skin. Do not use it if there are too many black spots. Make sure it feels firm and plump to the touch, and when you slice it, it should not be watery in texture.
