Zucchini is one of the most versatile vegetables and is a favorite crop to grow. It is extremely easy to find and is available at an affordable price. It is extremely nutritious and has a mild flavor, which is why it can absorb the flavor of other ingredients in the recipe. In addition to the mild flavor, it has bitter undertones but it’s usually covered with sweet flavor as well. On the other hand, if the zucchini tastes extremely bitter, we are sharing the reason and what can be done about it!
Why Is Zucchini Bitter?
The Reason Behind Bitter Zucchini
The bitter flavor of the zucchini is caused by the chemical makeup of the vegetable. That’s because zucchini produced cucurbitacins, which is a chemical compound. For this reason, it has a bitter flavor even when it’s grown normally. In most cases, this chemical compound is only available in vegetable in small amounts and don’t have a significant impact on the flavor. However, if the chemical compounds build up too much, it creates an intensely bitter flavor.
How To Overcome Bitterness In Zucchini?
If the zucchini seems to be over-bitter and it’s impacting the flavor of the recipe, we recommend that you salt the vegetable. In most cases, zucchini tastes bitterer if it has grown too big. In particular, the older and larger zucchini have more seeds and have a bitterer flavor. For this reason, it’s recommended that you salt the zucchini as it helps combat the bitter flavor in the water-dense veggies.
That’s because zucchini is a water-dense vegetable and salting it helps draw out the excess bitterness and moisture, which helps improve the texture. For this reason, if you want to reduce the bitterness, we recommend that you salt the veggies – it actually improves the texture as well. The salt should be applied for at least an hour, and then, rinse off the salt.
On the other hand, if you don’t want to use salt to overcome the bitterness, we recommend that you soak the zucchini in milk because it helps mellow down the flavor.
How To Prevent Bitter Flavor In Zucchini
When it comes down to the bitter flavor of the zucchini, we are sharing some ways how you can prevent this from happening, especially if you grow your own zucchini. In particular, you have to consider the following points;
- Watering
Zucchini is a water-dense vegetable, which means you’ve to be extremely particular about watering the plant. In most cases, the zucchini doesn’t need too much water to grow properly. However, if the weather is hot and dry for a long time, the nitrogen, nitrates, and cucurbitacins will build up, causing an extremely bitter flavor.
For this reason, you have to ensure that the plants are properly watered. In addition to watering the plants, we recommend that you cover the rows of zucchini plants with the help of a plastic cover to trap the moisture. All in all, you must water the zucchini plant at least two to three times a week. On the other hand, if you are living in cooler regions, watering the plant once a week will work fine!
- Sunlight
Growing zucchini means that you’ve to be careful about the sunlight. This is because zucchini needs sufficient sunlight to ensure proper growth. It’s recommended that you choose the planting location that gets full and direct sunlight. In addition, there must be no overhead trees blocking the sun. Also, it’s best that you don’t plant large bushes in the area around the zucchini plant as they can block the sunlight.
- Fertilizer & Soil
Different types of soil have toxins and metals, which are transmitted to the zucchini plant and lead to bitter taste. In addition, the pH level of the soil can also impact the flavor of the vegetable. Ideally, the pH level of the soil should range from 5.5 to 7.5 to make sure the plant not only thrives but has an appealing flavor as well. In addition to this, it’s recommended that you opt for raised bed gardening and organic soil to ensure healthy zucchini growth.
So, these are some tips to overcome the bitter flavor and prevent over-bitter zucchini if you grow your own!