Freezing it also softens it.
Because we don't eat courgette (husband refuses to eat it

) when I fed it to the fish I would slice a whole courgette and freeze it on a tray, then bag it once it was frozen. I left a slice on a plate till it was thawed, skewered it on a teaspoon and put it in the tank.
However, I don't know if that does the same to the courgette in chemical terms as blanching it
