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Gardeners World blog

Grow & eat

Not another courgette!

Posted by: Jane Moore, 22 August 2007, 09.56AM

It's happened at last - I just knew it would! Yes the courgettes glut has begun. It's going to be wall-to-wall courgettes from here on in now. I know I'm not alone in this as Steve in the accounts office at work turned up this week eagerly proffering courgettes to any that would take them.

It's the same every year - for weeks there are none. Every time I'm on the plot I anxiously rummage under the leaves hoping for a little courgette to have for tea but to no avail. And then the rush starts 'cos once they start producing they just don't stop and we can't pick them fast enough. You really need to pick them every other day, if not every day. And if you leave them alone for a whole weekend then they turn into marrows!

Courgettes Before long I know that courgette fatigue will set in too. Not with me - I love 'em! - but Paul gets bored of them. "They don't really taste of much do they?" and "They're a bit watery," he moans after we've eaten courgettes every night for a week and even I'm craving a nice head of broccoli by way of a change.

To counteract courgette fatigue I have amalgamated various courgette based recipes some of which don't even taste of courgette! I can thoroughly recommend Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's courgette based 'Glutney' which my friend Rachael made in industrial quantities the first year she had an allotment and planted rather too many courgettes. Check out Hugh's Guardian column for lots of courgette ideas including 'Glutney'. And Sophie Grigson's courgette risotto is next on my recipe list - her roasted marrow spiced with cumin is the perfect way to use up the ones that got away!

Comments

  • Ruffy

    22 August 2007, 06.24PM

    Jane - have you tried an ancient Austrian recipe for zuccini (as they call them)?

    Sweat some chopped onion, add garlic and sweat some more until cooked. Then the finely sliced courgettes (so fine you can nearly see through them)plus pepper. After 5 minutes turn off heat, cover and let cook in the steam. Keep an eye on them and serve before they go soggy.

    Wunderbar!

  • Patrick Vickery

    22 August 2007, 10.16PM

    Do you find gardening is an excellent way to sample other's home-baking, I wonder? I certainly do. The link to the garden blog below details - amongst other things, gardening included -the possibility of blueberry muffins on offer tomorrow. The life o a jobbing gardener, eh? rambling bloke blog

  • Matron

    23 August 2007, 08.49AM

    We all experience gluts of courgettes. I just love eating them steamed with nothing on (the courgettes have nothing on - not me). This year I have planted a late crop. The 2nd crop are just starting to produce courgettes now. They should last into the Autumn. Yum

  • Alison

    23 August 2007, 03.47PM

    Mine are going crazy now too, last night we had courgette lasagne!

  • Matt

    23 August 2007, 11.23PM

    As a very much newbie gardener I am finally seeing the fruits of my labour, and I cannot believe just how much I have grown! I highly recommend growing courgettes to anyone who is new to growing veg!

  • Jane Moore

    24 August 2007, 11.18AM

    Thanks for the recipe Ruffy - sounds very simple quick and tasty. I tried Sophie G's risotto the other night and it was fab - I can totally recommend it! It's got loads of fresh herbs in it and very little parmesan so it's fresh and light - a perfect summer risotto in fact. PS I too love them nude Matron (there's a carry on joke there, isn't there?) but Paul's not so keen - it will have to reamin a private pleasure so to speak!

  • Matt

    23 August 2007, 11.23PM

    As a very much newbie gardener I am finally seeing the fruits of my labour, and I cannot believe just how much I have grown! I highly recommend growing courgettes to anyone who is new to growing veg!

  • Gina B

    25 August 2007, 11.05PM

    All the rain and sunshine has produced a huge crop of courgettes, beans, tomatoes and chillis. My favourite recipe is ratatouille,which is basically a french vegetable stew.

    Soften onions, garlic, courgettes, mushrooms,aubergines,in olive oil.Add in lots of peeled and chopped tomatoes,about 1/4 bottle of red wine, some water depending on how many vegetables you have, salt and pepper and simmer for an hour with lid off pan to let it thicken and reduce.Sit back and enjoy rest of red wine. Perfect for barbecues,especially when you have to resort to eating inside because it is raining and cold! Freezes well! I have also added in runner beans and leeks when available.

  • Teresa

    28 August 2007, 03.23AM

    Glut????? So why have mine grown and then rotted off in the worst summer for rain?

  • Wardy

    04 September 2007, 11.01AM

    I disguised yellow courgettes in "carrot" cake. make as for carrot cake and don't tell the courgette detractors! They won't notice the difference.

    This week I am mostly eating courgette pakoras.

  • June

    08 September 2007, 02.05PM

    How I envy you all, my first sowing of courgetts got eaten by the snails, they were quite a nice size by the time I put them out too. The next lot I sowed have been very slow to do anything, I kept them in the greenhouse in pots because the nights seemed so cold and have been taking off the male flowers to help (I thought) save the strength to go to the little courgetts, then I saw Jamie Oliver on TV, and his gardener said he would not get any courgetts if he took all the male flowers to cook in batter! now I am leaving them and at last a few are getting a decent size. Be warned!

  • Rach

    08 September 2007, 07.50PM

    Courgette chocolate cake:

    Ingredients 180g good plain chocolate 200g plain flour 1 teaspn baking powder 1/2 teaspn bicarb. of soda 1/2 teaspn salt 125 g caster sugar 2 large eggs 6 fl.oz vegetable oil 225g peeled weight courgettes 60g chopped walnuts

    Method Preheat oven 180C. Grease and flour a 2 lb loaf tin. Sift all the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Beat the oil in to the eggs Finely grate the courgettes collecting any juice Melt chocolate over hot water Mix eggs and oil into dry ingredients and then add the chocolate and courgettes. Stir to combine everything well and then mix in the nuts. Pour into loaf tin and bake for 50 - 55 mins. Leave in tin for 5 mins before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve sliced with vanilla ice cream! You could also divide the mixture into 2 x 8 1/2inch sandwich tins and then sandwich together with choc. butter cream.

    (NB It does not taste of courgettes they just add to the moistness.)

  • no greenfingers

    22 September 2007, 04.17PM

    why does all we grow like courgettes not grow someething is eating things in my garden . now it the cabbages that was going to plant out , got net over them can anyone help?

  • Meg

    24 September 2007, 01.17PM

    Chop a red onion into a pan, sweat it but don't fry it, add thin strips of zuchinni sliced lengthways (I use a potato peeler for this bit), add some fresh coriander leaves and a small fresh chilli pepper. Allow it to completely cool down then smother it in lime juice and good olive oil and top with either pine nuts or sunflower seeds. It's especially nice eaten cold as a salad. A mate of mine also uses them in cake (in the same way you would make a carrot cake) which is also nice.

  • david woodhead

    20 June 2008, 12.18PM

    my courgettes have flowered but there are still no fruits not sure what to do any advice

  • janette

    10 July 2008, 02.56PM

    my courgettes are flowering but a lot of them don't have fruit on them.. i too need advice

  • Snowdrop

    17 July 2008, 09.02PM

    I have a lovely recipe for courgette and feta cheese soup its lovely and freezes well helps me use some of my glut of courgettes

  • John- Stockport

    21 July 2008, 09.10PM

    My courgettes, Butternut squash and Pumpkins seem to have been attacked by 1/4 inch long cream grubs that eat the roots. What are they and how can I stop them?

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