Blanch? Like Golden Girls?

If you had asked me 5 years ago about "blanching" and "shocking" squash, I'd have called it "cruel and unusual punishment." I'd picture this helpless yellow squash, sitting in a chair in a dark room under a solitary light (that somehow only lights him, yes, it's a him. Just go with it.) Blind fold on, clamps attached to a car battery and, um, I guess in this case he'd have nipples.. Ok, now I'm going too far into left field. Let's just say they'd get a blank stare.

I was definitely Carrie 5 years ago. I was a cop, single, living for only me. All I knew about squash was that they were super good breaded and fried, and served in a restaurant. I rarely cooked for myself, and if I did, it came from a can or a box. The only thing from the produce section was fruit, and even that was a rarity. Needless to say, my diet was not the healthiest. But enough about that..

Fast forward a few years, standing in a storage closet, holding bags of frozen, home-grown vegetables. My Mother and Father-in-law run an orchard, and this stuff was (gasp) not from a commissary. I ask my MIL how to do this myself, and she spits out, the fastest, most complicated  (or so I thought) instructions. "Blanch" and "Shock" were in there too. I gave her my best, "Awesome, I'll try that," then gave myself a mental note to translate that gibberish on Google.

Now, it's been 2 years, and I've finally got off my lazy bum, after losing SEVERAL purchases of squash and zucchini that haven't quite made to the dinner plate, and made my first attempt at this blanch and shock business. I started out asking my favorite friend (Google) how to do it. Multiple sites, all making it seem more of a chore than I had bargained for. Then I finally found a set of instructions I could wrap my head around. I just finished the task, and they look just like what my MIL handed me that day. Wow! Go me!

I found the instructions here: http://farmflavor.com/how-to-blanch-and-freeze-summer-squash-and-zucchini/

I'm slowly getting there, learning the tricks of the trade. And while sometimes it's a bit overwhelming trying to become a "housewife," I know that Google will always be there for me. Making my job a lot easier. That, and Pinterest. Don't even get me started on her. She's amazing.